I'd Come For You
by VoiceOfTime
Summary: Fourth in a series.  The Doctor has regenerated and Lily's on Earth.  What does this mean for their future?  The Doctor/OC Amy/Rory
1. Summary

**Warning! Warning! Warning!**

**If you haven't read Never Gonna Be Alone, Savin' Me, and Someday, stop reading this and go do it. If you don't, you will be confused. You have been warned.**

Author Note:

We're now in Series 5. For Series 3 and 4 and the specials, go and read the three prequels to this one.

So, when we left off, the Doctor had regenerated and left Lily on Earth. How long will they be apart? Only time will tell.

This story will pick up with the beginning of The Eleventh Hour and follow both the Doctor with Amy and Lily on Earth with Torchwood until they are reunited, so don't skip a chapter just because it seems the same as the real episode. Things will be changed, and the stories will run side by side.

Characteristics:

Name: Lily Elizabeth Carter, Dark Phoenix, Alyssy (called that by the Master when she was on Gallifrey)

Age: She was around 20 in Gallifreyan years when she was taken away, and she's lived as a human for 21 Earth years. Normally she'd be considered a very young teenager by the Time Lords, but she has matured at a human rate, so mentally, she is an adult. Usually she ignores the difference between an Earth year and Gallifreyan year and says she's around 41. After she regenerates, she changes to match the Doctor's reckoning, making him 906 and her 222.

Hair: Black, pre-regeneration. Blonde, post-regeneration. After, she tends to die it in different ways, most commonly the tips different colors, but she has been known to die a stripe different colors.

Skin: Pale, both pre and post.

Clothes: While human Lily changed her style from day to day, favoring jeans, t-shirts, cropped leather jackets, and boots, Time Lord Lily tends to go more towards the punk rock look. She wears different colored short sleeved dress shirts, with different colored ties and vests. She wears mostly jeans with black converse, but skirts also, with black boots. The only thing that always stays constant is the Fire Point Diamond around her neck, which the Doctor gave her.

Eyes: Grey with flecks of gold or the inverse when she uses her powers. When she goes deeply into the vortex, they can lose all of the grey and turn completely gold. No matter what, they remain this way.

Height: 5'7", pre. 5'3", post.

Personality: She's very sarcastic. She makes jokes when she's upset. She has a need to take care of everyone and tends to put them first even at the risk of ignoring what she needs. After she regenerates, she's still sarcastic, but less defensive. She knows who she is now and is more secure about it. She won't beat herself up as much about what she can't stop.

Relationships:

The Doctor-she is his bond-mate. She loves him very much, more than she loved her original Doctor. She needs him every bit as much as he needs her and doesn't take being separated from him very well.

Jack Harkness-she considers him her brother in every way but blood. She views him as only second to the Doctor and would do anything for him.

Donna Noble-she and Donna were linked by the metacrisis and now have a bond similar to twins. Donna is her sister in all but blood and she will do anything to protect her. They also share a low level telepathic bond. Nothing like the bond she shares with the Doctor, but enough that she can share information with her if need be. She can no longer travel with the Doctor and Lily due to the dormant knowledge in her mind. She is engaged to be married to Shawn Temple.

Again, if you haven't read the other three stories, stop now and go read them.

Thank you.

Now, on to I'd Come For You!

Abbey


	2. The Eleventh Hour: Crack in the Wall

Disclaimer: I'm afraid my give a crap is broken. I just don't care if you think you own the rights to the Doctor. Try back on a day not ending in y.

Ch. 2:

The TARDIS flew out of control over London.

Inside, the central console sparked and the room was in flames.

Outside, the Doctor held on to the threshold, the sonic screwdriver in his mouth.

He began to pull himself back in, but he heard the sound of a bell and saw that he is about to hit Big Ben. He pointed the sonic screwdriver at the controls. The resulting correction caused him to slip out again, narrowly missing the top of the tower.

He finally managed to pull himself inside before closing the doors and fell against them with a sigh.

The TARDIS lurched and spun out of control.

* * *

A young girl with bright red hair kneeled next to her bed, her hands clasped and her eyes shut tight.

"Dear Santa," she said. "Thank you for the dolls and pencils and the fish. It's Easter now, so I hope I didn't wake you. But honest, it's an emergency. There's a crack in my wall."

She turned to look at the crack behind her before returning to the prayer.

"Aunt Sharon says it's just an ordinary crack, but…" she hesitated. "I know it's not, because, at night, there's voices. So please, please, could you send someone to fix it? Or a policeman. Or…"

There was the sound of a crash and glass breaking. She turned her head to the window.

"Back in a moment." She said before getting up and grabbing a flashlight.

She ran to the window and looked down at the blue box laying on its side where her shed used to be, with smoke rising from it.

"Thank you, Santa." She said.

* * *

The girl stepped out wearing a red jacket and matching boots over her night gown. She made her way over to the box, her flashlight lighting the way.

The doors suddenly opened at the top and a rope with grappling hook attached to it came flying out.

A hand grabbed the edge followed by the other, and the Doctor's head came over the side.

"Can I have an apple?" he asked. "All I can think about-apples. I love apples. Maybe I'm having a craving. That's new-never had craving before."

He climbed up and straddled the edge, looking back down.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed. "Look at that! Oh, Lily's going to kill me."

"Are you okay?" the girl asked him.

He turned so both legs were on the outside.

"Just had a fall." He told her. "All the way down there, right to the library. Hell of a climb back up."

"You're soaking wet." She informed him.

"I was in the swimming pool." He replied.

"You said you were in the library." She shot back.

"So was the swimming pool." He told her. "Along with my mate's piano, which is why I'm a dead man."

"Are you a policeman?" she asked.

"Why?" he asked. "Did you call a policeman?"

"Did you come about the crack in my wall?" she demanded.

"What cra-?"

He fell off the TARDIS to the ground, convulsing.

"Are you all right, mister?" the girl asked, worried.

"No, I'm fine, it's okay." He said, moving to his knees. "This is all perfectly norm…"

His mouth opened and gold energy poured out.

"Who are you?" she asked him.

"I don't know yet." The Doctor replied, holding up his hands, which were glowing. "I'm still cooking. Does it scare you?"

"No, it just looks a bit weird." She replied.

"No, no, no." he told her. "The crack in your wall. Does it scare you?"

"Yes." She told him.

"Well, then, no time to lose." He said, jumping up. "I'm the Doctor. Do everything I tell you, don't ask stupid questions and don't wander off."

He walked off and right into a tree, knocking him onto his back.

"You all right?" the girl asked him.

"Early days." He replied, laying on the ground. "Steering's a bit off. I'm really glad Lily's not here."

* * *

The Doctor stood in the kitchen looking around.

"If you're a doctor, why does your box say 'Police'?" the girl asked, handing him an apple.

The Doctor took a bite and spit it out.

"That's disgusting." He told her. "What is that?"

"An apple." She replied.

"Apples are rubbish." He told her. "I hate apples."

"You said you loved them." She shot back.

"No, no, I love yoghurt." He said. "Yoghurt's my favorite. Give me yoghurt."

The girl ran to the fridge and got him yoghurt. The Doctor opened it, pouring it into his mouth, before spitting it out.

"I hate yoghurt." He said. "It's just stuff with bits in it."

"You said it was your favorite!" the girl told him.

"New mouth, new rules." He told her, wiping the back of hand across his mouth. "It's like eating after cleaning your teeth, everything tastes wron-agh!"

He stumbled back in pain.

"What is it?" she asked. "What's wrong with you?"

"Wrong with me?" he shot back. "It's not my fault. Why can't you give me decent food? You're Scottish-fry something."

The Doctor dried off his head with a towel as the girl fried bacon in a pan.

"Ah!" he exclaimed. "Bacon!"

The Doctor sat down and she put the plate in front of him. He took one bite and spit it out.

"Bacon." He said. "That's bacon. Are you trying to poison me?"

The girl went back to the stove and began preparing something else as the Doctor watched.

"Ah, you see, beans." He said.

She put the plate on the table, and, once more, the Doctor took a bite before spitting them out in the skink.

"Beans are evil." He told her. "Bad, bad, beans."

The girl got a slice of bread and put butter on it.

"Bread and butter." He agreed. "Now you're talking."

The Doctor opened the front door and threw the whole plate out.

"And stay out!" he yelled, shutting the door.

The girl looked in the fridge as the Doctor paced.

"We've got some carrots." She told him.

"Carrots?" he replied. "Are you insane? No, wait, hang on. I know what I need. I need…I need…I need…"

He looked in both the fridge and the freezer.

"Fish fingers and custard." He announced, taking both items.

Later, the girl sat across from the Doctor as he dipped the fish in a giant bowl of custard as she ate out of a container of ice cream. Finally, he picked up the bowl and drank the custard straight, and when he lowered it, a mustache of custard was left behind, which he wiped away with his hand.

"You're funny." The girl told him.

"Am I?" he asked. "Good. Funny's good. What's your name?"

"Amelia Pond." She told him.

"Ah, that's a brilliant name." he said. "Amelia Pond, like a name in a fairy tale. You'd fit well with my mate. Her name's the Phoenix, but I call her Lily."

"Is she in your box?" Amelia asked him.

The Doctor looked down.

"No." he answered quietly. "She's somewhere safer."

He shook himself before looking back at her.

"Are we in Scotland, Amelia?" he asked her.

"No." she said crossly. "We had to move to England. It's rubbish."

"So what about your mum and dad, then?" he asked. "Are they upstairs? Thought we'd have woken them by now."

"I don't have a mum and dad." Amelia told him. "Just an aunt."

"I don't even have an aunt." He told her.

"You're lucky." She said.

"I know." He replied, smiling. "So, your aunt. Where is she?"

"She out." Amelia replied.

"And she left you all alone?" the Doctor asked, surprised.

"I'm not scared." She told him defensively.

"'Course you're not." He replied. "You're not scared of anything! Box falls out of the sky, man falls out of the box, man eats fish custard, and look at you, just sitting there! So, you know what I think?"

"What?" she asked.

"Must be a hell of a scary crack in your wall." He replied.

* * *

"You've had some cowboys in here." the Doctor said, examining the crack in Amelia's wall. "Not actual cowboys, though that can happen."

Amelia stood the door way, looking at an apple in her hand.

"I used to hate apples," she told him as he walked over to her, "so my mum put faces on them."

She handed the Doctor the apple with a face carved in it.

"She sounds good, your mum." he told her.

He tossed the apple in air and caught it.

"I'll keep it for later." He told her, returning to the crack. "This wall is solid and the crack doesn't go all the way through it. So here's a thing-where's the draught coming from?"

He ran the sonic screwdriver along the crack before checking the readings.

"Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey." He murmured before wincing, as if expecting a blow. "Geez, she's got be trained, hasn't she?"

"Who?" Amelia asked, confused.

"Never mind." He replied. "You know what the crack is?"

"What?" she asked.

"It's a crack." He told her, running his fingers along it. "I'll tell you something funny. If you knocked this wall down, the crack would stay put, 'cause the crack isn't in the wall."

"Where is it, then?" she asked.

"Everywhere." He answered. "In everything. It's a split in the skin of the world. Two parts of space and time that should never have touched, pressed together…right here in the wall of your bedroom."

He pressed his ear against the wall.

"Sometimes, can you hear…"

"A voice?" she finished. "Yes."

He took a water glass from the nightstand and poured out the water before pressing it against the wall and putting his ear against it.

"Prisoner Zero has escaped." A voice said.

"Prisoner Zero?" the Doctor repeated.

"Prisoner Zero has escaped." Amelia said. "That's what I heard. What does it mean?"

"Prisoner Zero has escaped." The voice repeated.

"It means that," the Doctor said, stepping away from the wall, "on the other side of this wall, there's a prison and they've lost a prisoner. Do you know what that means?"

"What?" Amelia asked.

"You need a better wall." He replied.

The Doctor moved her desk out of the way.

"The only way to close the breach is to open it all the way." He told her. "The forces will invert and it'll snap itself shut. Or…"

"What?" she asked.

"You know when grown-ups tell you everything's going to be fine and you think they're probably lying to make you feel better?" he asked her.

"Yes." She replied.

"Everything's going to fine." He told her.

The Doctor held out his hand and Amelia took it. With his other hand, The Doctor pointed the sonic screwdriver at the crack. Amelia peered around him as a bright light shined through the crack and it widened to take up the whole wall.

"Prisoner Zero has escaped." The voice said.

The Doctor stepped closer to the crack.

"Prisoner Zero has escaped." The voice repeated.

"Hello?" the Doctor called. "Hello?"

A giant blue eye appeared.

"What's that?" Amelia asked, afraid.

A small ball of light shot out of the crack and struck the Doctor, making him fall against the bed. The crack then sealed once more.

"There." The Doctor said. "You see, told you it would close. Good as new. Although, you have to promise that if you ever meet Lily, you won't mention this."

"Why?" Amelia asked.

"Because she has a tendency to blow things up that try to hurt me." The Doctor replied.

"But what was that thing?" Amelia asked. "Was that Prisoner Zero?"

"No." the Doctor told her. "I think that was Prisoner Zero's guard. Whatever it was, it sent me a message. Psychic paper, takes a lovely little message. 'Prisoner Zero has escaped'. But why tell us? Unless…"

He stood up.

"Unless what?" Amelia asked.

The Doctor looked around.

"Unless Prisoner Zero escaped through here." he said. "But he couldn't have. We'd know."

He ran out of the room and stood in the hallway, looking around, confused.

"It's difficult." He said. "Brand-new me, nothing works yet. But there's something I'm missing…in the corner…"

He turned to face a door at the end of the hall.

"…of my eye." He finished.

There was an echoing sound of machinery along with the sound of the Cloister Bell.

"No!" the Doctor shouted, running down the stairs. "No, no, no, no, no, no!"

Amelia followed him.

"I've got to get back in there!" he yelled, running outside. "The engines are phasing, it's going to burn!"

"But…it's just a box!" she told him. "How can a box have engines?"

"It's not a box." The Doctor told her, grabbing the robe and hook. "It's a time machine."

"What, a real one?" Amelia asked, disbelieving. "You've got a real time machine?"

"Not for much longer if I can't get her stabilized." He replied. "Five-minute hop into the future should do it."

He looped the rope through the door handles.

"Can I come?" she asked him.

"Not safe in here, not yet." He told her. "Five minutes. Give me five minutes, I'll be right back."

He hopped onto the edge and prepared to drop down.

"People always say that." Amelia told him with a bitterness beyond her years.

The Doctor turned back and jumped down to look her in the face.

"Am I people?" he asked her. "Do I even look like people? Trust me, I'm the Doctor."

She smiled and the Doctor climb back onto the TARDIS. With one last look at Amelia, he jumped.

"GERONIMO!" he yelled.

The TARDIS doors slammed shut and Amelia watched as the box disappeared. When it was gone, she ran back inside.

She ran straight to her room and pulled out a small suitcase from under her bed and began to pack.

As she ran across the hall, she didn't notice that one of the doors was now open.

She headed downstairs, and out the door. She sat down on her suitcase and waited.

_11:30…_

_10:20_

* * *

The TARDIS materialized in the garden and the door opened to reveal billowing smoke and the Doctor emerged with a cloth over his nose and mouth.

"Amelia!" he yelled, running towards the house. "Amelia! I worked out what it was. I know what I was missing! You've got to get out of there!"

He used the sonic screwdriver on the door, and after a few tries, it opened and he ran in.

"Amelia?" he called, running up the stairs. "Amelia, are you all right? Are you there?"

He immediately went to the door that caught his attention earlier and began trying to open it.

"Prisoner Zero is here!" he yelled. "Prisoner Zero is here! Prisoner Zero is here! Do you understand me? Prisoner Zero is-"

He turned around and was hit in the head with a cricket bat.

A/N: Okay, so next chapter will be Lily in Torchwood. I'm going to be covering the six months between when The End of Time takes place and when The Eleventh Hour takes place in the chapters dealing with her. So when they finally get back together, the Doctor will have been away from her for roughly a week, but for her it will have been six months. Knowing Lily as we do, how many of you think she's going to handle that well?  
I know it's not much different, but let me know what you think.

Abbey


	3. Torchwood January: Coming to Terms

Disclaimer: In this chapter I actually own things! How awesome is that?

A/N: Just a warning, Lily cusses in this chapter. If that bothers you, sorry. I'm taking the view that she's in Torchwood right now, and they don't care what they say.

Ch. 3:

Martha and Mickey came up to find a very pregnant Gwen in a tizzy. Behind her was Lily sitting on a bench, staring blankly in front of her, tears falling down her face.

"Oh, thank god you're here." she said quickly. "I don't know what to do. She hasn't moved in the hour since he left."

"He really just left her?" Martha asked, shocked.

"He just walked out, dropped the letter, and walked back in." Gwen said, shaking her head.

"But that's just not like him!" Martha said. "He loves Lily more than anything. I've seen him risk everything to get back to her. Why would he leave her?"

"From what I saw on the letter, he seemed to feel whatever was going to happen might hurt her." Gwen said. "Can someone tell me what regeneration is?"

Martha grabbed Mickey's arm.

"He's regenerating?" she whispered.

"Apparently." Gwen replied. "I don't understand, what does that mean?"

"When a Time Lord is dying, they can save themselves." Mickey told her. "That's what happened to Lily, that's why she looks different, and the Doctor has done it once before since I've known him. But Rose saw him regenerated, so why wouldn't he want Lily there?"

"He absorbed 500,000 rads." Lily said, her voice thick with tears.

Martha came over and sat next to her.

"But I saw him absorb radiation before." She said softly. "First time I met you two. Why would the radiation bother him?"

"Compared to what he absorbed this time, the last time was child's play." She told her softly. "It was a miracle he survived to regenerate at all."

Martha hesitated.

"Where is he now?" she asked the Time Lord softly.

Lily took a deep, shuttering breath.

"I don't know." She said, her voice shaking. "When we regenerate, the bond goes into a dormant mode. The process is very disturbing, and the bond shuts down to protect the bond mate."

"He'll be back." Martha told her. "He loves you. He'll be right back. You'll see."

"He has a Time Machine." Lily told her, the tears coming faster. "If he was coming back, he'd be here, wouldn't he?"

Martha didn't have an answer for her.

"He's not coming back." Lily whispered.

Martha wrapped her arm around Lily and she turned to lay her head on her friend's shoulder as she cried.

"We'll take her home with us." Mickey told Gwen quietly. "We'll call Donna in the morning."

"He's going to come back, right?" she asked the man. "He wouldn't leave her."

Mickey looked at her grimly.

"That's assuming he can come back." He replied.

They both watched the grieving woman in silence.

* * *

Mickey arrived at Torchwood the next day to find Gwen already there.

"I thought you were going on maternity leave." He told her strictly.

"And then a grieving Time Lord was left on our doorstep." She told him. "I thought we could use all hands on deck. How is she?"

"She hasn't left her bed." Mickey told her. "Martha's staying home with her until Donna gets there. We called her last night and she said she'd be here later today. From what she told us, she had just found out about Ianto and Jack leaving earlier, I think the Doctor leaving was just too much. She's not like him, she can't just keep going."

"How did she find out about Ianto?" Gwen asked. "We were never able to get a hold of her."

"She apparently went to find Jack to help with the Master and found him drunk in a bar somewhere." He replied. "According to what Martha's told me, Lily has a tendency to blame herself for things, so it probably didn't help when Jack blamed her for what happened to Ianto."

"He did what?" Gwen screeched.

"Don't yell at me, I'm just telling you what she told us." Mickey said, rubbing his ear.

"What does that asshole think he's doing?" she demanded. "It's not her fault! It's the damn 456's fault!"

"I'm not arguing with you!" Mickey told her. "I repeat, I'm just telling you what she told us!"

"I know." Gwen said, sitting down. "Sorry, go on."

"There's not much else to tell you." Mickey said sitting down next to her. "It's like she's broken."

They jumped as the door opened and Lily came striding in. A second later, Martha and Donna came in, looking confused.

"What's going on?" Mickey asked his wife.

Martha shrugged.

"Donna showed up and we were just talking and I just asked if something happened to the Doctor, what happens to the TARDIS." She told him. "Next thing I know, Donna and I are running to follow her as she walked here."

They watched as Lily strode into Jack's office before coming back out with a gun in one hand and a extra clip in the other. They all exchanged looks before following her.

She quickly made her way down to the firing range and they watched as she quickly emptied one clip and then the other into a dummy. When she was out of bullets, she sent a bolt flying at the target and it exploded.

She stood there, breathing heavily.

"Uh, Lils?" Donna called hesitantly. "Care to tell us what that was about?"

"You know what happens when something happens to the Doctor and I'm not around?" she asked, rounding on them. "The TARDIS is programmed to find me."

They stood their staring at her.

"The bastard is alive, he's just running." She seethed.

"I'm sure he has a reason." Martha told her.

"Yeah, he's a fucking coward." Lily growled.

They collectively took a step back as her eyes flashed gold.

Seeing the fear in their faces, she closed her eyes and got herself back under control.

"Sorry." She said softly, opening her eyes. They weren't back to normal, but at least they weren't pure gold now. "I just wish I could wring his throat."

"Understandable." Gwen told her.

Lily focused on her.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "This is no place for a pregnant woman!"

"I just thought-"

"You just thought you were going home." Lily interrupted, setting the gun down before walking over to her friend. "And I'm not taking no for answer."

"Fine." Gwen said.

They walked back up and Lily barely let her stop for her coat.

"I will trap you in your house if I have to." She warned Gwen as she practically shoved her out the door.

"I'm going." The woman groused.

Before she left though, she wrapped Lily in a hug.

"It's going to be alright." She told her softly. "You'll see."

"I hope so." Lily told her, hugging her back.

She gently pushed her out of the door.

"Out you go mom." She told her, smiling.

Gwen shook her head, but a second later, she was gone.

Lily sighed and turned back to the others.

"Well, it looks like I need a job." She said.

* * *

The rest of the day was fairly quiet, and since there was no emergencies, Martha, Donna, and Lily sat in the conference room talking about Donna's wedding plans while Mickey made himself scarce.

"So you'll be made of honor?" Donna asked Lily.

"I've already told I will." Lily sighed.

"Just making sure." Donna replied.

"Besides, there has to be someone there for when the aliens enviably attack." Lily told her, throwing a wadded piece of paper at her friend as Martha laughed.

"If they even try it, I will kill them." Donna growled.

"Considering some of the stories out there about you," Lily mused, "we could probably announce that and have an alien free month!"

Martha laughed.

"I really am sorry I couldn't be there for your wedding." Lily told her contritely.

"And I've already told you, it's fine." Martha told her. "It wasn't a big deal. Just a small service. Tish stood as my maid of honor and Jack was Mickey's best man."

"I don't even want to consider that bachelor party." Lily said, shuddering.

"Neither do I." Martha told her. "Luckily, Mickey doesn't remember most of it and Jack promised to erase all evidence of it."

"He's good at that." Lily said, laughing. "He's had enough practice."

Thinking about Jack made Lily go quiet.

"It wasn't your fault." Martha told her, knowing what she was thinking. "You can't blame yourself anymore than Mickey and I can blame ourselves."

"I just wish we had been here instead of trying to run away." Lily said sadly.

"Ianto died defending this planet." Martha told her. "You can't ask for a more honorable death."

"But Jack has to watch everyone around him die." Lily said. "He still should have had years with Ianto."

"At least they made the most of the time they had." Martha told her.

"And that is something I really don't think about." Lily said, pulling a face and making the other women laugh.

After a moment, the talk returned to weddings.

"So, dresses." Lily said. "If you make me wear pink, I'll kill you, understood?"

"There will be no black." Donna told her, waving a finger at her.

"But black goes with everything!" Lily protested.

"And no converse." Donna added.

Lily looked at her, horrified. Suddenly, she was sad again.

"I'm going to have to buy all new clothes." She said. "Everything I own was on the TARDIS."

"I can't believe he just took off." Martha muttered.

"Okay that it." Donna said, hitting the table. "Let's go."

She got the two confused woman up and out the door, leaving Mickey to hold down the fort.

"Call Gwen." Donna ordered.

A confused Martha did as ordered.

"Gwen?" she called when the phone was answered.

"It's Rhys." Came the answer.

"Hey Rhys, it's Martha." The woman replied.

"Hey Martha." The man replied.

"Can I talk to your wife?" she asked.

"Gwen!" the man called.

Martha waited for the woman to come to the phone as Donna led them to a car.

"Martha?" Gwen called. "Is everything alright?"

"I have no idea." Martha replied. "I was ordered to call you. Just hang on a minute."

She handed the phone to Donna as they got in the car.

"Gwen?" Donna called. "Meet us at the pub down the street from you in ten minutes. We're going to get Lily drunk, and since you're pregnant and can't drink, you just became our designated driver."

"Oh, lucky me." Gwen said sarcastically.

"It's either that or stay in and annoy your husband and miss out on a drunk Time Lord." Donna told her.

"I'll be there in ten." Gwen said quickly and hung up.

* * *

"Guys suck." Lily said as she took her tenth shot. "Human or Time Lord, they should all be shot."

"Agreed." Donna told her.

"What are you complaining about?" Gwen demanded, the only sober one of the lot. "You've got a guy who's absolutely crazy about you and would do anything for you!"

Donna looked confused.

"Who?" she asked.

"Shawn?" Gwen said slowly. "Tall, dark, handsome, head over heels in love you? Ringing any bells?"

Donna seemed to concentrate for a moment before the light bulb literally went off.

"Oh, him!" she exclaimed.

"There it is!" Martha said, giggling.

"See?" Lily demanded. "Shawn is a great guy! And then there's Mickey and Rhys! They wouldn't take off with all your stuff and leave you just a letter! How did I get stuck with such a dud?"

"The only the other option was your brother?" Martha suggested.

"And he was an even bigger moron!" Lily said. "And he went and got himself killed! Twice! I mean, how dumb can you get?"

"Apparently fairly dumb." Donna replied, taking a sip of her drink.

"And I mean, it's one thing to leave me on this rock." Lily continued. "But did he have to take all my stuff?"

She took another shot and slammed it down on the table.

"Do you know how hard I worked to assemble just the perfect wardrobe?" she asked the girls seriously.

"I distinctly remember being dragged on a three day shopping trip." Gwen told her. "Believe me, I know."

"All my clothes." Lily moaned, laying her head on the table. "All my pretty clothes."

There was a thunk as the Fire Point fell out of her shirt and hit the table. She sat up and tried to pull it away from her to look at it, but just wound up cross eyed.

"Stupid Time Lords." She muttered, reaching up to take it off.

When she finally got the clasp undone, she made a motion to throw it away, but Gwen took it.

"I think I'll just give this back to you tomorrow." She told the drunk Time Lord.

Lily shrugged and put her head back on the table.

"Men suck." She said, her voice muffled.

"Agreed." Donna said, taking another shot.

* * *

"LIKE A HURRICANE IN THE HEART OF THE DEVASTATION," Donna, Martha, and Lily were singing at the top of their lungs as they fell out of the car at Martha's house at three in the morning. "SHE'S A NATURAL DISASTER, SHE'S THE LAST OF THE AMERICAN GIRLS!"

As they sang the last line, Martha and Donna changed 'American' to 'British' and Lily tried to drown them out.

Mickey came out and stared at them.

"Oh, the neighbors are going to love this." He said to Gwen, who was walking in front of them.

"Oh, you should have been there for the rendition of Tik Tok." Gwen told him, shuddering.

"Men suck." Lily slurred as she walked past him, and Donna and Martha nodded fervently.

"I love you three, too." He told them. "Why don't we get you to bed?"

"I'm out of here." Gwen told him. "I've had about enough drunk singing and male bashing I can take for one night."

"Night, Gwen." Mickey said, shaking his head. "And thanks."

"No problem." Gwen replied. "I'll bring the car back tomorrow."

He nodded and herded the other three into the house as Gwen drove off.

A/N: Okay, so what did you guys think of drunk Lily? Let me know.

Abbey


	4. The Eleventh Hour: The Human Residence

Disclaimer: And I'm back to owning nothing.

Ch. 4:

The Doctor slowly came to and, as his vision cleared, he saw a female police officer in a very short skirt, speaking into her radio.

"White male, mid-20's, breaking and entering." She said. "Send me some back-up, I've got him restrained."

She turned and looked at the Doctor to find him awake.

"Oi, you!" she said. "Sit still."

"Cricket bat." The Doctor groaned. "I'm getting cricket bat."

"You were breaking and entering." The officer told him.

The Doctor quickly tried to stand up, only to find he was handcuffed to the radiator.

"Oh, Lily's going to love this." He moaned. "But that's much better. Brand new me, whack on the head. Just what it needed."

"Do you want to shut up now?" she demanded. "I've got back up on the way!"

"Hang on, no, wait." The Doctor said, focusing on her. "You're a policewoman."

"And you're breaking and entering." She told him. "You see how this works?"

"But what are you doing here?" he demanded. "Where's Amelia?"

"Amelia Pond?" the woman replied.

"Yeah." The Doctor said. "Little Scottish girl. Where is she? I promised her five minutes, but the engines were phasing. I suppose I must have gone a bit far. Has something happened to her?"

"Amelia Pond hasn't lived here in a long time." She told him.

"How long?" he asked.

"Six months." She told him.

"No." he replied, disbelieving. "I can't be six months late! I said five minutes. I promised."

He sniffed.

"I seem to be breaking a lot of those now." He murmured.

The woman walked away from him, reaching for her radio.

"Sarge, it's me again." The woman said. "Hurry it up, this guy knows something about Amelia Pond."

* * *

The Doctor was still sitting on the floor awhile later.

"I need to speak to whoever lives in this house now." He told the woman.

"I live here." she told him.

"But you're the police." He said.

"Yes, and this is where I live." She shot back. "You got a problem with that?"

"How many rooms?" he demanded.

"I'm sorry, what?" she replied.

"On this floor." He told her. "How many rooms on this floor? Count them for me now."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because it will change your life." He replied.

"Five." She said after a moment. "One, two, three, four, five."

"Six." The Doctor told her.

"Six?" she shot back.

"Look." He said.

"Look where?" The officer demanded.

"Exactly where you don't want to look." The Doctor replied. "Where you never want to look, the corner of your eye. Look behind you."

The woman slowly turned and stared at the door like she had never seen it before, because she hadn't.

"That's…that is not possible." She told him. "How's that possible?"

"There's a perception filter round the door." He replied. "Sensed it the last time I was here. Should've seen it."

"But that's a whole room." She said. "That's a whole room I've never even noticed."

"The filter stops you." The Doctor explained. "Something came a while ago to hide. It's still hiding. You need to uncuff me now!"

The woman began to slowly move towards the door.

"I don't have the key." She told him. "I lost it."

"How can you have lost it?" he demanded. "Stay away from the door."

She kept walking.

"Do not touch that door!" he ordered.

She put her hand on the doorknob.

"Listen to me!" he yelled. "Do not open that…"

She turned the knob.

"Why does no one ever listen to me?" he asked. "Do I just have a face that nobody listen to?"

She slowly entered the room.

"Again?" he asked, frantically searching his pockets. "My screwdriver, where is it? What I wouldn't give for vortex powers right now!"

The officer walked into the dusty room and looked around. There were old boxes on the floor, the curtains were rotting, and the walls were water damaged. In the middle off the room was a table.

"Silver thing, blue at the end." The Doctor called. "Where did it go?"

"There's nothing here." the woman called back.

"Whatever's there stopped you seeing the whole room." He told her. "What makes you think you could see it? Now, please, just get out!"

"Silver, blue at the end?" the woman asked.

"My screwdriver, yeah." He replied.

"It's here." she told him.

"Must have rolled under the door." He said.

"Yeah." She replied. "Must have."

She looked at the it, sitting on the table, covered in goo.

"And then it must have jumped up on the table…" she muttered.

"Get out of there!" he shouted. "Get out of there!"

She reached over to pick up the screwdriver.

"Get out!" the Doctor ordered her, stretching as far as he could. "Get out of there!"

The woman back towards the window. Unknown to her, a giant eel-like creature eased down from the ceiling behind her. It was covered in goo and had a mouth full of sharp teeth. The woman looked one way, than the other, but it stayed behind her so she couldn't see it.

"What is it?" the Doctor called. "What are you doing?"

"There's nothing here, but…" she trailed off.

"Corner of your eye." The Doctor said.

"What is it?" the woman demanded.

"Don't try to see it." He told her. "If it knows you've seen it, it will kill you. Don't look at it. Do not…"

She finally saw the creature.

"…look." He said as she screamed. "Get out!"

She ran out and back down the hall to the Doctor.

"Give me that!" the Doctor yelled, snatching the sonic screwdriver away from her.

He pointed it at the door, locking it, before turning it on the handcuffs. Nothing happened.

"What's the bad alien done to you?" he asked it.

He stopped, horrified.

"I've picked up her speech patterns." He muttered. "Oh, fantastic."

"Will that door hold it?" the woman asked.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, course!" he said sarcastically. "It's an inter-dimensional multi-form from outer space-they're all terrified of wood."

A bright light flashed around the edges of the door.

"What's that?" she demanded. "What's it doing?"

"I don't know, getting dressed?" the Doctor replied, wiping the goo off the screwdriver with his fingers. "Run. Just go. Your backup's coming, I'll be fine."

"There is no backup." She told him.

"I heard you." He said, looking up at her, surprised. "On the radio, you called for backup."

"I was pretending." She told him. "It's a pretend radio."

"You're a policewoman." He said.

"I'm a kissogram!" she shouted, pulling her hat off to let her ginger head fall free.

The door to the room fell into the hallway, revealing a man in blue coveralls holding the leash of a large Rottweiler. He walked towards them.

"But it's just…" she trailed off.

"No, it isn't." the Doctor said. "Look at the faces."

The man growled while the dog remained still.

"What?" she asked. "I'm sorry, but what?"

"It's all one creature." He told her. "One creature disguised as two. Clever old multi-form. A bit of a rush job, though. Got the voice a bit muddled, did you?"

The creature looked straight at the Doctor.

"Mind you," he continued, "where did you get the pattern from? You'd need a psychic link, a live feed. How did you fix that?"

The creature snarled, advancing on them. It opened its mouth to show rows of sharp teeth.

"Stay, boy!" The Doctor ordered. "Her and me, we're safe. Want to know why? She sent for backup."

"I didn't send for backup!" the woman told him.

"I know, that was a clever lie to save our lives." He told her, turning back to the creature. "Okay, yeah, NO backup! And that's why we're safe. Alone, we're not a threat to you. If we HAD backup, then you'd have to kill us!"

"Attention, Prisoner Zero." A loud voice called. "The human residence is surrounded. Attention Prisoner Zero. The human residence is surrounded."

"What's that?" the woman demanded.

"That would be backup." The Doctor replied. "Okay, one more time. We do have backup and that's definitely why we're safe."

"Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated." The voice announced.

"Well, safe apart from, you know, incineration." The Doctor added.

The creature turned into one of the other rooms, and, as the voice repeated it's warning, the Doctor began banging his screwdriver on the floor in an attempt to get it to work.

"Work, work, work." He chanted. "C'mon."

He kept banging it until it turned on. He pointed it at the handcuffs and they unlocked.

"Run." He said, standing up. "Run!"

He pushed her down the stairs, quickly following.

They ran outside and the Doctor used the screwdriver to lock the door.

"Kissogram?" he demanded.

"Yes!" she replied.

"Why'd you pretend to be a policewoman?" he asked.

"You broke into my house!" she shot back, following him as he walked away. "It was this or a French maid! What's going on? Tell me! Tell me!"

"An alien convict is hiding in your space room disguised as a man and a dog," he told her, standing in front of the TARDIS, "and some other aliens are about to incinerate your house. Any questions?"

"Yes." She replied.

"Me too." He said, putting the key in the door, but it didn't open. "No, no, don't do that, not now! It's still rebuilding, not letting us in!"

"Prisoner will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated." The voice repeated.

The creature stood in the window, barking at them.

"Come on." The woman said, grabbing the Doctor by the arm.

"No, wait, hang on, wait, wait, wait." He said, resiting. "The shed."

He ran to it.

"I destroyed that shed last time I was here." he told her. "Smashed it to pieces."

"So there's a new one." She told him. "Let's go."

"But the new one's got old. It's ten years old at least." He said, sniffing the wood before running a finger along the wood, tasting it. "Twelve years. I'm not six months late, I'm 12 years late."

"He's coming." The woman told him.

"You said six months." He told her. "Why did you say six months?"

"We've got to go." She said.

"This matters." He insisted. "This is important. Why did you say six months?"

"Why did you say five minutes?" she screamed back at him.

"What?" he said, staring.

"Come on." She said.

"What?" he repeated.

"Come on!" she yelled, pulling him by the arm.

"What?" he repeated again.

"Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated."

They ran out of the garden and past the creature, who was now standing in the door.

* * *

They walked down the road quickly.

"You're Amelia." The Doctor said, stopping and facing her.

"You're late." She replied and kept walking.

"Amelia Pond." He said. "You're the little girl."

"I'm Amelia and you're late." She shot back.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"Twelve years." She answered.

"You hit me with a cricket bat!" he accused.

"Twelve years." She shot back.

"A cricket bat!" he insisted.

"Twelve years and four psychiatrists." She told him.

"Four?" he questioned.

"I kept biting them." She said.

"Why?" he asked.

"They said you weren't real." She answered.

They came along a ice cream van.

"Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated." Came over the van's speakers.

"No, no, no, come on…" Amelia complained. "What? We're being staked out by a ice cream van?"

The Doctor headed for the van and she followed.

"What's that?" he demanded. "Why are you playing that?"

"It's supposed to be Claire De Lune." The man replied.

The Doctor picked up the speaker and listened.

"Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated." He heard. "Repeat, Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated."

The Doctor stepped away and saw a man looking at his MP3 player and a woman staring at her phone as they both played the message.

"Doctor, what's happening?" Amelia demanded.

The Doctor leapt over a low white fence into a garden and Amelia ran around to the front.

The Doctor entered the house to find a old woman staring at the TV which showing a large blue eye, repeating the warning, on every channel.

"Hello!" he said. "Sorry to burst in, we're doing a special on television in this area."

He glanced at Amelia, still dressed as a police officer.

"Also, crimes." He added. "Let's have a look."

He took the remote from her.

"I was just about to phone." The old woman told him. "It's on every channel."

She turned and smiled at Amelia.

"Hello, Amy, dear." She said. "Are you a policewoman now?"

"Well, sometimes." Amy replied.

"I thought you were a nurse." The woman told her.

"I can be a nurse." Amy answered.

"Or, actually, a nun." The woman continued.

"I dabble." She said, clearly uncomfortable.

"Amy, who is your friend?" the woman asked.

"Who's Amy?" the Doctor asked. "You were Amelia."

"Yeah, now I'm Amy." She told him.

"Amelia Pond." He said. "That was a great name."

"Bit fairy tale." She shot back.

"I know you, don't I?" the woman asked him. "I've seen you somewhere before."

"Not me." He replied. "Brand new face…First time on."

He turned back to Amy.

"And what sort of job's a kissogram?" he asked.

"I go to parties and I kiss people." She said, clearing her throat. "With outfits. It's a laugh."

"You were a little girl five minutes ago." He told her.

"You're worse than my aunt." She shot back.

"I'm the Doctor, I'm worse than everybody's aunt." He said before turning to the other woman. "And that is not how I'm introducing myself."

The Doctor picked up a radio, pointing the screwdriver at it. The message came over it in French and German before he shut it off.

"Okay, so it's everywhere, in every language." He said. "They're broadcasting to the whole world."

He walked to the window and opened it, looking up at the sky.

"What's up there?" Amy asked. "What are you looking for?"

"Okay, planet this size, two poles, your basic molten core…" the Doctor said, coming back inside. "They're going to need a 40% fission blast."

A young man entered and the Doctor walked up to him.

"But they'll have to power up first, won't they?" the Doctor continued. "So assuming a medium-sized starship, that's 20 minutes."

He stood on tip-toe so he was the same height as the other man before going back down.

"What do you think, 20 minutes?" he asked. "Yeah, 20 minutes. We've got 20 minutes."

"20 minutes to what?" Amy asked.

"Are you the Doctor?" the man asked.

"He is, isn't he?" the woman said. "He's the Doctor! The Raggedy Doctor. All those cartoons you did when you were little. The Raggedy Doctor, it's him."

"I know." Amy replied, embarrassed.

"Cartoons?" the Doctor asked, confused, as he sat on the couch.

"Gran, it's him, isn't it?" the man asked. "It's really him!"

"Jeff, shut up!" Amy yelled. "20 minutes to what?"

The eye was still on the TV, broadcasting it's warning.

"The human residence." The Doctor replied. "They're not talking about your house, they're talking about the planet. Somewhere up there, there's a spaceship and it's going to incinerate the planet. 20 minutes to the end of the world."

A/N: Okay, that's done. Back to Torchwood we go. Review!

Abbey


	5. Torchwood January: New Job

Disclaimer: And I own things again! Yay!

Ch. 5:

The next morning, Mickey and Lily walked into Torchwood to find Gwen there already. Lily was very glad that Donna had brought some of her left over clothes from her last stint on Earth. The jeans and t-shirt weren't her normal clothes, but they were at least clean.

"You just don't know how to stay home do you?" Lily groused, looking up at the pregnant woman.

"Yeah, well I thought you'd be comatose after last night's binge." The woman shot back, walking over to them.

She reached into her pocket and took out the Fire Point, handing it to Lily. The Time Lord took it.

"I thought you'd like that back." Gwen told her.

Lily stared at it for a moment before slipping it into her pocket.

"Thanks." She said softly.

She took a deep breath and shook herself.

"So, where do you need me?" she asked brightly.

Gwen motioned for her to follow.

She led her up the stairs and into Jack's office.

"Here." Gwen said.

"I don't get it." Lily said, looking around her brother's office.

"We need someone to lead us." Gwen told her. "You're the only one left with the knowledge to do it."

"But you've got seniority!" Lily protested.

"And you've got the experience." Gwen said. "Plus, technically, I'm on maternity leave. I won't be able to do anything until I give birth. You are the one to do this job. Not me."

Lily looked around the office before nodding.

"Alright." She said, smiling softly.

"Good." Gwen said, walking over to the desk and picking up a pile of files, carrying the back to Lily. "Then these are yours."

She dropped the files into Lily's arms and walked off.

"Oh!" Lily exclaimed. "That's cheating!"

"Suck it up!" Gwen called back.

Lily stared at the files before sighing and sitting down at the desk.

"Oh, this is so going to suck." She moaned, getting to work.

* * *

A few hours later, she called Martha and Donna and told them to get their asses out of bed and into Torchwood. An hour later, they finally crawled into the Hub, thoroughly hung over, to be greeted by a cheerful Lily.

"You drank more than the two of us combined." Martha moaned. "How are you not hung over?"

"Oh, don't even bother." Donna replied, just as out of it. "It's the stupid Time Lord physiology. Don't try to understand it, just hate it."

Martha nodded and went to her husband on the couch, curling into his side and seeming to go to sleep.

"Why do I need to be here?" Donna demanded crossly. "I don't work here."

"Come on." Lily said, motioning her into Jack's-her office.

Once they were both seated, Lily pulled out a file.

"I want to offer you and Shawn jobs." She said without preamble.

"What?" Donna asked, her hung over brain not comprehending.

"I'm taking over where Jack left off, and unfortunately, he left me understaffed." Lily told her. "Three members dead, one pregnant, and one running. Martha and Mickey are going freelance, but they agreed to help out for now with the understanding that if they get a job, they can go do it. I need to start recruiting."

"And your asking me?" Donna demanded. "You're the one who told me I needed to run away from anything dangerous."

"And I stick by that." Lily replied. "But we need someone to handle the administrative side of this organization and you're the one always telling us about how you're a super temp."

"Why Shawn?" Donna asked.

Lily leaned forward.

"Me being in your life will always put you in danger." She told her friend. "By hiring Shawn and training him, at least you'll always be protected, even if I'm not around."

She smiled at her friend.

"Besides, wouldn't you like him to know about all of your life, not just the safe parts?" she asked. "Plus, this pays way better than the jobs you have now. I want to help my best friend and her soon to be husband, so let me."

Donna hesitated.

"Can I have some time to think about it?" she asked Lily.

"Of course." Her friend replied. "Call Shawn, have him come down. We can show him the operation. If he turns us down, at least he'll know what he into."

Donna nodded and Lily got up and hugged her.

"Call him." She told her.

She smiled and grabbed her jacket.

"You can use the phone here and call me when he gets here." Lily told her.

"Where are you going?" Donna asked.

Lily sighed.

"I have an errand to run." She said, walking out.

* * *

Lily knocked on the door. She waited until a woman opened the door.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Alice?" Lily asked.

"Yes." The woman replied.

"My name's Lily." She told her. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"I don-" the woman started.

"I'm Jack Harkness's sister." Lily told her.

The woman glared at her.

"Leave me alone." She said, starting to close the door, but Lily stopped her.

"Please." She said. "Just ten minutes. If you still want to throw me out after that, I'll leave and never come back."

Alice hesitated.

"I swear." Lily told her. "Just ten minutes."

Alice sighed and stepped back, allowing her in.

"Thank you." Lily said, stepping inside.

* * *

The two women stood in the kitchen awkwardly.

"I didn't know my father had a sister." Alice said finally.

"I'm not really his sister." Lily explained. "He adopted me, and he's the closest thing to a brother for me."

"Are you immortal like him?" the woman asked.

"That's depended on how you define immortal." Lily told her. "I'm not human, and my species has the ability to repair most damage to our bodies, and barring catastrophe I will live forever, but I can be killed unlike your father."

Alice nodded and Lily took a deep breath.

"I'm leading Torchwood now." She said. "Your father is running, leaving me the position. I read his report on the 456 incident." She said.

"Incident." Alice growled, glaring at her. "Is that what we're calling the murder of my son?"

Lily sighed.

"I understand you're upset." She told her.

"Oh really?" the woman spat. "Was your son murdered by his grandfather?"

"No." Lily told her softly. "But I know what it's like to lose your children. Both of my daughters are dead."

The woman didn't say anything.

"I've had two daughters." Lily told her, not meeting her eyes. "One was killed while I was still carrying her. I was far enough along that I was still forced to go through with the birth. The other daughter was created under…unusual circumstances."

"What do you mean?" Alice demanded.

"She was flash grown from her father's DNA." Lily told her. "She was fully grown and simply stepped out of a machine when she was born. She was only alive for a day before she stepped in front of a bullet to save her father."

Lily swiped at a tear that fell down her cheek.

"I'm sorry." Alice told her softly.

"I didn't mean to exchange stories." Lily told her after a moment. "I came here to tell you that if you need anything, anything at all, you can call me. Your father made sure you were set for life."

"I don't want his money." Alice told her.

Lily nodded.

"Understandable." She said. "But the money is there and the offer of help is always open."

Alice nodded and Lily turned and walked to the door. When she reached it, she stopped, but didn't turn around.

"You're father hates himself for what he did." She told the woman softly. "He loved you and your son very much."

"Yeah, he loved Steven so much he killed him." Alice said bitterly.

Lily turned and looked at the woman sadly.

"If he had any other option, he would have taken it." She told her. "Even if it had meant using another child to do the same thing, but your son was the only one strong enough. You made not have inherited your father's immortality, but his blood runs through your veins and it ran through your son's. It makes you more than human. Your son was the only one who could have done what he did. And that fact is killing your father."

"If your father killed your child, would you forgive him?" Alice demanded.

"Maybe not." Lily conceded. "But your son wasn't the only person your father sacrificed. I just don't want you to think he did it lightly."

"Please leave." Alice said, turning away from Lily.

Lily sighed.

"Just…try not to think too harshly of your father." She told the woman. "He did what he thought was right."

Alice didn't turn around, and a moment later, Lily left.

* * *

Lily made her way back to the Hub.

"Did Jack keep any record of the Doctor's movements?" she asked Gwen as she walked in.

"I don't know." The woman replied. "Jack was always secretive when it came to you and the Doctor."

Lily nodded and made her way to her office, which Donna had vacated.

She sat down at the computer and typed in 'the Doctor'. Hundreds of results popped up.

"Geez, you never make anything easy, do you?" she muttered.

She eliminated any ones with references to herself and any of the ones involving the first through tenth incarnations. That still left several.

"Where are you?" she muttered.

A few minutes later, she gave up and went back to the paperwork. A while later, her phone rang.

"Hey Donna." She said.

"Shawn is here, wondering why I dragged him to Cardiff." Donna told her.

"I'll be right up." She said, hanging up.

"Look alive!" she called, walking towards the others. "Shawn's here and I want to make sure we don't scare him right off the bat."

"Yeah, yeah." Mickey said, waving his hand.

Lily shook her head and made her way up to the entrance by the bay.

"Donna." She called walking towards the couple. "Shawn. Welcome to Cardiff."

"You must be Lily." Shawn said, holding a hand out to the woman. "Donna's told me all about you. It's great to finally meet you."

Lily smiled at the man and took his hand.

"Everything, huh?" she said. "Did she tell you I'm not human?"

Shawn froze and Lily grinned.

"Oh, that's the least shocking of the things I'm about to tell you." She told him.

* * *

Shawn collapsed on the couch after they were done telling him everything.

"So let me get this straight." He said. "You're an alien."

"Yep." Lily said.

"And Donna used to travel with you and your…mate?" he asked.

"That's right." She said.

"But then she had the knowledge of your race downloaded into her brain, and if she remembers, she'll die?" he continued.

"In a nutshell." Lily replied.

"No way." He told her.

She smiled.

"I have proof." She said.

Lily went and grabbed a folder, holding it out to him.

"That was found in a dig in Rome." She said. "It's thought to be in the house of survivors of Pompeii."

Inside was a picture of a shrine holding the image of a man and two women flanking a telephone box.

"Is that…?" Shawn trailed off.

"The Doctor, me, and Donna." Lily confirmed. "They thought we were gods."

"Rome gods…" Shawn said weakly. "But that doesn't look like you."

"I died." She said simply. "Now I look different. Still me though."

"You died." He said.

"Yep." She replied brightly.

He seemed to be about to pass out.

"Shawn, you need to breath." Donna told him.

"You traveled through space." He said weakly.

"Yes, I did, and it was magnificent." She told him. "But now I'm on Earth permanently and I'm even happier. Know why?"

He shook his head.

"Because I have you, you dumbo." She told him, laughing.

"But I don't know anything about any of this." He said to Lily. "Why would you want to hire me to fight monsters? I don't know anything about how to do this!"

"Neither did Mickey when he started." Lily told him. "Did you, Mickey?"

"Not a thing." The man said. "But then my girlfriend ran off with the Doctor and I got a crash course."

"I can train you." Lily told Shawn. "I can teach you what you need to know to do this job. And as an added bonus, I'll always know Donna's protected."

"Sorry to interrupt." Gwen called.

"What's up?" Lily asked.

"Police just called us in." she told her. "Strange death and something they're calling a 'weird, shinning, crack'."

"A weird, shinning, crack?" Lily repeated.

"Their words." Gwen answered.

"Oh, I just love the police." Lily sighed, turning back to Donna and Shawn.

"You two sit here and talk about it." She told them. "Martha and Mickey, get suited up. We have a 'weird, shinning, crack' to check out."

Mickey chuckled as he and Martha moved off.

"Whatever you choose, you better take care of Donna." Lily told Shawn. "Cause if you don't, I'll kill you. And if I kill you, no one will find the body."

Shawn chuckled, but trailed off when neither woman did.

"Right." He said, swallowing.

Lily grinned.

"Welcome to the family." She told him.

A/N: What do you think of Lily offering Donna and Shawn jobs? I know I'm really leaving the Whoverse, but isn't that the whole point of an AU? Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	6. The Eleventh Hour: How Can He Be Here?

Disclaimer: I wish I could have the Doctor.

Ch. 6:

The Doctor and Amy walked down the street quickly.

"What is this place?" he asked her. "Where am I?"

"Leadworth." Amy replied.

"Where's the rest of it?" he asked.

"This is it." She told him.

"Is there an airport?"

"No."

"A nuclear power station?"

"No."

"Even a little one?"

"No."

"Nearest city?" he demanded.

"Gloucester, half an hour by car." She replied.

"We don't have half an hour." He said. "Do we have a car?"

"No."

"Well, that's good!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Fantastic, that is. 20 minutes to save the world and I've got a post office. And it's shut! _What_ is _that?_"

"It's a duck pond." Amy replied, following him to a small pond.

"Why aren't there any ducks?" he demanded.

"I don't know." She replied, confused. "There's never any ducks."

"Then how do you know it's a duck pond?" he asked.

"It just is." She told him. "Is it important, the duck pond?"

He gasped as another spasm over took him.

"I don't know. Why would I know?" he asked as he sat on the ground, clutching his chest. "I'm not ready, I'm not done yet."

The sky began to darken and they both looked up.

"What's happening?" Amy demanded. "Why's it going dark?"

The sun flickered before returning to something close to normal, but still off.

"So what's wrong with the sun?" she asked.

"Nothing." The Doctor replied. "You're looking at it through a force-field. They've sealed off your upper atmosphere, no they're getting ready to boil the planet."

He suddenly snapped his fingers.

"I'll call Lily." He said. "That force field will be easy for her. Except it's too early in the time line. She's still with the other me. Still human, probably. No, that won't work. Back to twenty minutes."

He stood up, ignoring the look Amy was giving him, and looked at all the villagers.

"Oh, and here they come, the human race." He said sarcastically. "The end comes, as it was always going to-down a video phone!"

"This isn't real, is it?" Amy demanded. "This is some kind of big wind-up."

"Why would I wind you up?" the Doctor asked.

"You told me you had a time machine." She said.

"And you believed me." He told her.

"Then I grew up." She shot back.

"Oh, you never want to do that." He replied, groaning. "No, hang on, shut up, wait! I missed it."

He smacked his forehead.

"I saw it and I missed it." He said, smacking himself again. "What did I see? I saw…What did I see?"

He replayed everything he had seen in his mind, focusing on a man taking photos with his phone of not the sun, but the multi form.

"Twenty minutes." The Doctor told Amy. "I can do it. Twenty minutes, the planet burns. Run to your loved ones and say goodbye, or stay and help me."

"No." Amy replied.

"I'm sorry?" he said.

"No!" she replied, grabbing him by the tie and pulling him along.

"Amy!" he yelled, struggling against her. "No! No! What are you doing?"

She pushed him against a car as the driver stepped out. She slammed the door shut, trapping his tie and grabbed the remote from the stunned driver, locking the doors.

"Are you out of your mind?" The Doctor demanded.

"Who are you?" Amy shot back.

"You know who I am." He replied.

"No, really, who are you?" she demanded.

"Look at the sky!" he told her. "End of the world, twenty minutes, and I'm down my super powered mate!"

"Better talk quickly, then!" she told him.

"Amy, I am going to need my car back." The driver told her.

"Yes, in a bit." She replied. "Now go and have coffee."

"Right." The man said, turning and leaving. "Yes."

The Doctor reached into his pocket, taking the apple out and tossing it to her.

"Catch." He said.

She turned it and saw the smiley face carved into it.

"I'm the Doctor." He told her softly. "I'm a time traveler. Everything I told you twelve years ago is true. I'm real. What's happening in the sky is real, and if you don't let me go now, everything you've ever known is over."

"I don't believe you." She said, just as softly.

"Just twenty minutes." He said. "Just believe me for twenty minutes." He motioned to the apple. "Look at it. Fresh as the day you gave it to me. And you know it's the same one."

She looked at the apple and then back at him.

"Amy, believe for twenty minutes." He told her.

She hesitated before unlocking the car.

"What do we do?" she asked.

"Stop that nurse!" he yelled, running onto the green and taking the young man's phone.

"The sun's going out, and you're photographing a man and a dog." He told him. "Why?"

"Amy?" the young man asked, spotting the girl.

"Hi!" she said. "Oh, this is Rory, he's a…friend."

"Boyfriend." He corrected.

"Kind of boyfriend." She corrected.

"Amy!" he said.

"Man and dog, why?" the Doctor demanded.

"Oh, my God, it's him." Rory gasped.

"Just answer his question, please." Amy told him.

"It's him, though." Rory continued. "The doctor. The Raggedy Doctor."

"Yeah, he came back." Amy said.

"But he was a story." Rory said. "He was a game."

The Doctor grabbed Rory by the shirt.

"Man and dog-why?" he demanded. "Tell me now."

"Sorry." Rory said. "Because he can't be there. Because he's…"

"In a hospital." The Doctor and Rory said in unison. "In a coma."

"Yeah." Rory said.

"Knew it." The Doctor proclaimed, letting go of him. "Multi-form, you see? Disguise itself as anything, but it needs a live feed, a psychic link with a living but dormant mind."

The multi-form snapped and snarled as the Doctor moved closer.

"Prisoner Zero." He identified.

"What, there's a Prisoner Zero too?" Rory asked.

"Yes." Amy replied.

"Next you'll be telling me the Phoenix is real too!" Rory said.

"Don't know." Amy told him. "He keeps talking about her, but I've never met her."

There was an electrical buzzing and they looked up to see a ship fly over with a giant eye swiveling back and forth.

The Doctor slipped his screwdriver from his pocket.

"See, that ship up there is scanning this area for non-terrestrial technology." The Doctor told Prisoner Zero. "And nothing says non-terrestrial like a sonic screwdriver."

He held the screwdriver above his head and turned it on. All around, streetlights shattered, car alarms began to blare, and sirens wailed. A fire truck drove by, the firemen running behind it.

"I think someone's going to notice, don't you?" the Doctor asked.

Prisoner Zero barked as the Doctor lowered the screwdriver, aiming it at a phone box, which promptly exploded. The screwdriver began to spark and the Doctor dropped it in surprise.

"No, no, no, don't do that!" he told it.

The ship began to fly away.

"Look, it's going." Roy pointed out.

"No, come back, he's here!" the Doctor shouted. "Come back! He's here, Prisoner Zero is here. Come back, he's here! Prisoner Zero is…"

Prisoner Zero turned into mist and escaped down a drain.

"Doctor!" Amy yelled. "The drain. It just sort of melted and went down the drain."

"Well, of course it did." He replied.

"What do we do now?" she asked.

"It's hiding in human form." He told them. "We need to drive it into the open. No TARDIS, no screwdriver, no Phoenix, no vortex powers, seventeen minutes. Come on, think. Think!"

* * *

The Doctor, Amy, and Rory stood looking down at the drain.

"So that thing," Amy said, "_that_ hid in my house for twelve years?"

"Multi-forms can live for millennia." The Doctor replied. "Twelve years is a pit stop."

"So how come you show up again on the same day that lot do?" she demanded. "The same minute?"

"They're looking for him, but followed me." The Doctor said. "They saw me through the crack, got a fix. They're only late 'cause I am."

"What's he on about?" Rory demanded.

"Now, sport, give me your phone." The Doctor told him.

"How can he be real?" Rory continued. "He was never real."

"Phone, now, give me!" the Doctor demanded.

"He was just a game." Rory said as he handed over the phone. "We were kids. You made me dress up as him while you played Phoenix."

"These are all coma patients?" the Doctor asked, ignoring their conversation as he looked at the pictures.

"Yeah." Rory replied.

"No, they're all the multi-form." The Doctor said. "Eight comas, eight disguises for Prisoner Zero."

"He had a dog, though." Amy pointed out. "There's a dog in a coma?"

"The coma patient dreams he's walking a dog, Prisoner Zero gets a dog." The Doctor replied. "Laptop! Your friend, what was his name? Not him, the good-looking one."

"Thanks." Rory said.

"Jeff." Amy replied.

"Oh, thanks." Rory said, even more offended.

"He had a laptop in his bag, a laptop." The Doctor said. "Big bag, big laptop, I need Jeff's laptop. You two, get to the hospital, get everyone out, clear the whole floor. Phone me when you're done."

He ran off, leaving them behind.

"Your car, come on." Amy said, running in the other way.

"But how can he be here?" Rory called after her, following. "How can the Doctor be here?"

* * *

The Doctor entered Jeff's bedroom to find Jeff lying on his bed, using the laptop.

"Hello." The Doctor said. "Laptop, give me!"

He grabbed it, but Jeff refused to let go.

""No, no, no, no, wait, hang on!" Jeff said, trying to keep the computer.

"It's fine, give it here." The Doctor told him.

He took the laptop and sat at the end of the bed, looking at the screen before looking back at Jeff.

"Blimey!" he said. "Get a girlfriend, Jeff."

The door opened, and the old woman walked in.

"Gran." Jeff said.

"What are you doing?" she asked the Doctor.

"The sun's gone wibbly, so right now, somewhere out there, there's going to be a big video conference call." He said as he typed. "All the experts in the world panicking at once, and do you know what they need? Me. Ah, and here they all are. All the big boys. NASA, Jodrell Bank, Tokyo Space Center, Patrick Moore."

"Ooh, I like Patrick Moore." Gran said.

"I'll get you his number." The Doctor promised. "But watch him, he's a devil."

"You can't just hack in on a call like that." Jeff told him.

"Can't I?" the Doctor asked.

He held the psychic paper up to the webcam.

"Who are you?" one of the men demanded. "This is a secure call. What are you doing?"

"Hello." The Doctor said. "I know, you should switch me off. But before you do, watch this."

"It's here too." One of the other men said. "I'm getting it."

"Fermat's Theorem, the proof, and I mean the real one, never seen before." The Doctor told them. "Poor old Fermat, got killed in a duel before he could write it down. My fault, I slept in. Lily didn't talk to me for a month. Oh, and here's an oldie but a goodie-why electrons have mass. And a personal favorite of mine, faster-than-light travel with two diagrams and a joke. Lily always tries to take credit for it, but it's mine, no matter what she says. Look at your screens. Whoever I am, I'm a genius. Look at the sun. You need all the help you can get. Fellas, pay attention."

* * *

Amy and Rory arrived at the hospital and ran inside.

* * *

The Doctor had Rory's phone out and was typing on it.

"Sir, what are you doing?" one of the Experts asked.

"I'm writing a computer virus." He replied. "Very clever, super-fast, and a tiny bit alive, but don't let on. Why am I writing it on a phone? Never mind, you'll find out. Okay, I'm sending this to all your computers. Get everyone who works for you sending this everywhere. Email, text, Facebook, Bebo, Twitter, radar dish-whatever you've got. Any questions?"

"Who was your lady friend?" one of the men asked.

"Patrick, behave!" the Doctor told him.

"What does this virus do?" another asked.

"It's a reset command, that's all." The Doctor said. "It resets counters, it gets in the wi-fi and resets every counter it can find. Clocks, calendars, anything with a chip will default at zero at exactly the same time. But, yeah, I could be lying, why should trust me? I'll let my best man explain."

There was silence.

"Jeff, you're my best man." He said.

"Your what?" Jeff asked.

The Doctor closed the laptop halfway.

"Listen to me." He told the young man. "In ten minutes, you're going to be a legend. In ten minutes, everyone on that screen is going to be offering you any job you want. But first, you have to be magnificent. You have to make them trust you and get them working. This is it, Jeff. Right here, right now. This is when you fly. Today's the day you save the world."

"Why me?" Jeff asked.

"It's your bedroom." The Doctor replied. "Now, go, go, go."

He got up and left.

Jeff opened the laptop.

"Okay, guys, let's do this." He said, starting to type.

"Oh," the Doctor said, re-entering, "and delete your internet history."

He left again. He ran outside and looked around before running off.

A/N: Okay, little things changed. Next chapter, we go back to Lily. Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	7. Torchwood January: Goodbye Visits

Disclaimer: Star bright, Star light. First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might have the Doctor for my own. *shuts eyes tight before peeking* Did it work?

Ch. 7:

Lily, Mickey, and Martha arrived at a building swarming with police.

"Hello, boys." She said cheerfully, walking up to the sullen detectives. "And what can Torchwood do for you this fine day?"

"Where's Harkness?" one of the men demanded.

"My brother had to take a sabbatical." Lily said, her demeanor going frosty. "What can I do for you?"

"And you are?" the other man asked.

"The Phoenix." She replied. "New head of Torchwood."

"The Phoenix?" the first man asked, snorting. "What kind of name is that?"

Lily's smile fell completely and the man gulped.

"The kind you don't ask questions about." Lily replied. "Now, what's the problem?"

"Male, 20 years old, strange burn marks on the back." The second man replied. "When we saw the crack, we decided to call you guys. Seems more like your scene than ours."

"Ah, yes." Lily said. "The 'weird, shinning crack'. Mind elaborating?"

"You might just want to see it." The man replied.

Lily sighed.

"Clear out your people." She told them. "We'll take it from here."

"Gladly." The man told her. "You heard her lads, it's Torchwood's problem now."

A few minutes later, the cops were gone, leaving the three time travelers.

"Well, let's go see what we've got." Lily said, ducking under the police tape.

They made their way inside and saw the man on the ground. Lily kneeled next to him and gently touched the burn mark.

"I've seen those marks before." Martha said, kneeling on the other side. "On the soldiers killed during the ATMOS crisis. That's a Sontaran blaster mark."

"Yep." Lily confirmed. "Which means we've got a Sontaran on the loose, killing people."

She sighed and got up.

"Let's go see that crack." She said.

"You guys might want to get in here!" Mickey called from the next room.

Martha and Lily exchanged a look before walking into the room. The moment Lily saw the crack, she quickly pulled back, hissing.

On the wall was a large, shining crack in the shape of a disturbing smile.

"What is that?" Martha asked.

"A crack." Lily whispered. "A crack in time. Stay away from it."

"Why?" Mickey asked.

"Things that come in contact with it disappear from time." Lily told them, venturing slightly closer. "Like they never existed. Get sucked into one of those, you were never born."

"Yeah, I think I'm going to stay over here." Martha said, pulling her husband back.

Lily moved so she was standing in front of the crack.

"How did this happen?" she whispered, then her face went hard.

"Doctor." She spat.

"What?" Mickey asked.

"A explosion capable of fracturing time can only be made by a few things, and the Doctor and I are connected to all of them." She said. "I don't know how, I don't know when, but at some point, either the Doctor or I cause something to explode, rupturing space time and my bets are on the Doctor."

She sighed and turned back to the other two.

"Release the body to the police." She ordered. "We don't need it and the family deserves to bury it. Then you two are going Sontaran hunting."

"Fun." Mickey said.

"Also, tell the police that we're shutting down this building immediately." She continued. "We need to keep people out of here until I can figure out a way to shut this thing. Tell them to label it bio-hazard, or something. Anything that will keep people out."

The two humans nodded and got to work, while Lily turned back to the crack.

"Where are you?" she asked softly. "What are you doing?"

* * *

Lily, Mickey, and Martha went back to the Hub, and as the husband wife combo got ready to go hunting, Lily sat down with Shawn and Donna.

"So have you two come up with an answer yet?" she asked.

"Are you sure about this?" Shawn asked. "I mean, I've never touched a gun."

"Please, I can teach you to defend yourself." Lily told him. "You're smart, Shawn. You can think on your feet, you listen and learn quickly, and Donna thinks highly enough of you that she's marrying you. That says a lot to me."

Just then, Martha and Mickey walked in, armed to the teeth.

"Um, are you hunting a Sontaran, or invading a small country?" Lily asked them.

"We just want to be prepared." Mickey told her.

"Yeah, well remember I want it alive." She replied. "I want to know how it got here and why it's here."

"Yeah, any idea how we're supposed to capture it?" he asked.

"Back of the neck." All three woman said at once.

He and Shawn stared at them.

"Sontarans are clones." Lily explained. "They have a probic vent on the back of their neck."

"One good whack, they go down." Donna concluded. "Just keep hitting it until you get back."

"Good to know." Mickey replied.

"Call me when you have it." Lily ordered.

"Will do." Martha replied.

"Happy hunting." Lily called as they walked out.

She turned back to Shawn and Donna.

"You ready to start?" she asked.

Shawn hesitated before nodding.

* * *

While Donna gave Shawn a run down on the species she had come in contact with, Lily went to her office. She quickly typed in _Doctor_, _Earth_, _Crack_.

She waited a few moments for Torchwoods mainframe to pull up the answers. It was annoying, mainly because they were used to hunt the Doctor, but if you wanted to know what he had been up to, Torchwood's records were the best.

Finally the results came up. She eliminated any of the ones involving previous regenerations, or if they involved her or known companions. Finally she found one that looked promising.

"Atraxi." She murmured.

She read over the rest of the summary and typed in a name included in the report.

_Amy Pond_ she read.

_Known companion to the Eleventh regeneration of the Doctor…First came into contact with him at the age of seven…Received psychological treatment due to her obsession with him during her childhood…Marital status…unknown…_

"So, picked up a new companion, have we?" Lily said to no one.

She went back to the report and continued reading. She snorted when she read the bottom.

_Whereabouts of the Phoenix: Unknown at the point. This is certainly after they began to travel together, but she did not appear with him at this time. She was mentioned several times by both Amy Pond in her memory of the night she met the Doctor, even going so far as to include her in her fantasies, even though she never met the Phoenix, and by the Doctor in passing. Does this signify a rift between the two Time Lords? Unknown at this time. More research necessary._

"Oh great." Lily muttered. "Our relationship is now a subject of research in Torchwood. Fantastic."

"Lily?" Donna called. "I need your help explaining the Shadow Proclamation. So far all I've got is creepy women with red eyes who predicted you were going to die."

Lily chuckled and closed the page before getting up to help her friend.

* * *

The next few days were spent teaching Shawn what he needed to know, researching ways to close the crack, and hunting the Sontaran.

"Martha and Mickey have tracked him all the way to London." Lily reported one morning. "He's killed three more people."

"Great." Donna muttered.

"On another front, I got a call from Sarah Jane." Lily continued.

"Is she alright?" Donna asked.

"She's fine." Lily replied. "She was calling to tell me she had seen the Doctor."

"What?" Donna shouted.

Lily rubbed her ear.

"It was him while he was saying goodbye." she said, leaning against a desk. "She said he didn't look good."

"What did he do?" Donna asked.

"He saved Luke." Lily replied. "The stupid boy walked out into the street without looking. The Doctor pulled him back."

"What does this mean?" Donna asked.

"Nothing." Lily replied. "It doesn't mean anything. In my time line, all that has already happened. I just wasn't there for it."

Donna wrapped her arms around the woman, surprising her. A second later, Lily returned the hug.

"He'll come back." She whispered. "He will."

"I'm not so sure." Lily replied. "If he was going to, wouldn't he've?"

"You just have to have faith." Donna told her.

Lily sighed.

"I don't have faith in much anymore." She replied.

She smiled sadly and grabbed her gun.

"You ready to learn how to shoot?" she called to Shawn.

* * *

A gun shot sparks at Mickey, who was running across a stretch of open ground.

Martha crossed a stretch of dirt and threw herself behind a concrete block, joining Mickey, who was reloading his gun.

"I told you to stay behind!" he told her.

"Well, you looked like you needed help." She shot back, making him scoff. "Besides, you and Lily were the ones who persuaded me to go freelance."

"Yeah, but…we're being fired at by a Sontaran." Mickey scoffed. "A dumpling with a gun! And this is no place for a married woman!"

"Well then…" Martha said, laughing. "You shouldn't have married me!"

They grinned at each other, unaware of the Sontaran watching them from above.

He raised his gun and aimed.

Still unaware, Mickey and Martha were looking at a map.

"If we go in here, and down the factory floor, and down past that corridor," Mickey said, " then it won't know we're here."

Meanwhile Martha looked up towards the Sontaran had been.

"Mickey." She said faintly. "Mickey!"

He glanced at her before following her gaze to the man standing there. It was the Doctor as he had been.

He stood watching them, one hand holding a mallet and the other in his pocket.

"Hey!" Mickey said happily.

They started towards him, but the Doctor simply nodded before turning and walking away.

They watched him go and Mickey pulled Martha into his arms as they heard the TARDIS. Martha closed her eyes and Mickey pressed a kiss to her head.

When the noise was gone, Martha pulled away.

"I'm going to call Lily." She told Mickey. "Tell her about the Sontaran, and…him."

Mickey nodded.

"I'll go take care of the Sontaran." He told her.

Martha nodded and pulled out her phone as Mickey moved away. The phone rang, and finally Lily picked up.

"We've got the Sontaran." Martha reported. "And, Lily…we saw him."

* * *

Lily hung up the phone and angrily wiped away a lone tear.

"Lily?" Donna called from where she was sitting with Shawn, going over reports.

"Mickey and Martha just got their visit from the Doctor." She told her friend. "He saved them from being shot by the Sontaran. They're on their way back."

Donna was quiet for a moment.

"Well, at least maybe we'll get some answers from the Sontaran." She said.

"Yeah." Lily agreed. "Maybe."

A/N: What do you think? Let me know.

Abbey


	8. The Eleventh Hour: Get Back Here!

Disclaimer: Please. I barely own the air I breath.

Ch. 8:

Rory was talking to a nurse while Amy was on her phone. When he was done talking, he made his way over to her.

"Something's happened up there, we can't get through." He told her.

"Yes, but what's happened?" she asked in frustration as she redialed.

"I don't know." Rory told her. "No one knows. Phone him."

"I'm phoning him." Amy shot back as the call was picked up. "Doctor? We're at the hospital, but we can't get through. Oh!"

"What did he say?" Rory asked.

"Look in the mirror." She replied, turning to look at her reflection. "Ha-ha! Uniform!" She pulled her hair back. "Are you on your way? You're going to need a car."

* * *

"Don't worry." The Doctor told her from behind the wheel. "I've commandeered a vehicle."

He reached over and turned on the fire engine's siren.

* * *

Rory and Amy got out of the elevator to find the corridors in shambles. Gurneys and tables were overturned and scrubs and utensils littered the floor. In front of them was a woman holding the hands of her two daughters.

"Officer." The woman said.

"What happened?" Amy asked.

"There was a man." The woman said. "A man with a dog. I think Dr. Ramsden's dead. And the nurses."

Amy quickly phoned the Doctor.

"Are you in?" he asked.

"Yep." She replied. "But so's Prisoner Zero."

"You need to get out of there." He told her.

Rory turned and looked at the woman as she began to talk. Except the voice didn't come from her. It came from one of her daughters.

"He was so angry." The daughter said with the mother's voice. "He kept shouting. And that dog, the size of that dog, I swear it was rabid."

Amy and Rory began backing away from them.

"And he just went mad, attacking everyone." Prisoner Zero continued. "Where did he go, did you see? Has he gone? We hid in the ladies."

"Oh, I'm getting it wrong again, aren't I?" it said, speaking through the mother this time. "I'm always doing that. So many mouths."

All three opened their mouths to reveal rows of sharp teeth.

"Oh, my God!" Rory exclaimed.

"Amy?" the Doctor called through the phone. "Amy, what's happening?"

Rory and Amy ran down the corridor to one of the wards. They closed the doors and slid a broom through the handles.

"Amy, talk to me!" the Doctor yelled.

Amy and Rory backed away from the doors of the ward to the center of the room.

"We're in the coma ward." She told the Doctor. "But it's here, it's getting in."

"Which window are you?" he asked.

"What, sorry?" she demanded.

"Which window?" he shouted.

"First floor on the left, fourth from the end." She told him.

Prisoner Zero broke in.

"Oh, dear." It said. "Little Amelia Pond. I've watched you grow up. 12 years, and you never even knew I was there. Little Amelia Pond, waiting for her magic Doctor to return, but not this time, Amelia."

It opened its mouth, revealing it's teeth.

Amy's phone beeped and she looked down to see a text message from the Doctor.

Duck.

She heard the wail of the siren and pushed Rory to the floor as the fire ladder broke through the window. The Doctor climbed up the ladder and through the window, joining them.

"Right." He said. "Hello! Am I late? No, three minutes to go. So still time."

"Time for what, Time Lord?" Prisoner Zero asked.

"Take the disguise off." He ordered. "They'll find you in heartbeat. Nobody dies."

"The Atraxi will kill me this time." Prisoner Zero replied. "If I am to die, let there be fire."

"Ok." The Doctor told her. "You came to this world by opening a crack in space and time. Do it again-just leave."

"I did not open the crack." It told him.

"Somebody did." The Doctor shot back.

"The cracks in the universe-don't you know where they came from?" it asked him, mocking. "You don't, do you? The Doctor in the TARDIS doesn't know. Doesn't know, doesn't know! What of the burning Phoenix, the glory of time bound in mortal form, does she know the answer to the riddle?"

"Leave her out of this." The Doctor growled. "She has no place in this. Now tell me who made the cracks!"

"The universe is cracked." Prisoner Zero told him. "The Pandorica will open. Silence will fall."

There was a clicking sound.

"And we're off!" the Doctor said, looking up at the wall and pointing. "Look at that. Look at that!"

The clock now read 00:00.

"Yeah, I know, just a clock, whatever." The Doctor said. "But do you know what's happening now? In one little bedroom, my team are working. Jeff and the world. And do you know what they're doing? They're spreading the word all over the world, quantum fast. The word is out. And do you know what the word is? The word is zero. Now, me, if I was up in the sky, in a battleship, monitoring all Earth communication, I'd be able to track a simple old computer virus to its source in, what, under a minute?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone.

"The source, by the way, is right here." he told it as a bright light shined through the window. "Oh! And I think they just found us!"

"The Atraxi are limited." Prisoner Zero told him. "While I'm in this form, they'll still be unable to detect me. They've tracked a phone, not me."

"Yeah, but this is the good bit." The Doctor replied. "I mean, this is my favorite bit. Do you know what this phone is full of? Pictures of you. Every form you've learned to take, right here. Oh, and being uploaded about now. And the final score is-no TARDIS, no screwdriver, no vortex-powered Phoenix-two minutes to spare."

He held out his arms.

"Who da man?" he shouted.

Everyone was silent.

"Oh, I'm never saying that again!" he grumbled. "Fine."

"Then I shall take a new form." Prisoner Zero told him.

"Oh, stop it, you know you can't." he shot back. "Takes months to form that kind of psychic link."

"And I've had years." It replied, starting to glow.

Amy began to fall to the floor as the Doctor rushed to her side.

"No!" he shouted. "Amy?"

He held her face between his hands.

"You've got to hold on." He told her. "Amy! Don't sleep! You've got to stay awake, please!"

"Doctor?" Rory said, looking behind the Time Lord.

The Doctor turned and looked at Prisoner Zero's new disguise.

"Well, that's rubbish." He said. "Who's that supposed to be?"

"It's you." Rory told him.

"Me?" the Doctor asked. "Is that what I look like?"

"You don't know?" Rory asked.

"Busy day." The Doctor replied, standing up. "Why me, though? You're linked with her. Why are you copying me?"

A young Amelia Pond peered out from behind the fake Doctor.

"I'm not." It told him. "Poor Amy Pond. Still such a child inside. Dreaming of the magic Doctor she knows will return to save her. What a disappointment you've been."

"No," the Doctor replied, "she's dreaming of me 'cause she can hear me."

He ran back to her side.

"Amy, don't just hear me, listen." He told her. "Remember the room, the room in your house you couldn't see? Remember you went inside. I tried to stop you, but you did. You went in the room. You went inside. Amy…dream about what you saw."

"No…" Prisoner Zero said as it began to glow. "No…no!"

The large worm like creature was now in its place.

"Well done, Prisoner Zero." The Doctor said, facing it. "A perfect impersonation of yourself."

Prisoner Zero was caught in the light and writhed.

"Prisoner Zero is located." The voice from before said. "Prisoner Zero is restrained."

"Silence, Doctor." Prisoner Zero called. "Silence will fall."

It disappeared.

There was a whoosh of air as the ship left and the Doctor ran to the window, dialing the phone.

"The sun-it's back to normal, right?" Rory asked. "That's…that's good, yeah? That means it's over."

Amy started to come around.

"Amy?" Rory called. "Are you okay? Are you with us?"

"What happened?" she asked.

"He did it." He replied. "The Doctor did it."

"No, I didn't." The Doctor replied, holding the phone to his ear.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked.

"Tracking the signal back." The Time Lord replied. "Sorry, in advance."

"About what?" Rory asked.

"The bill." The Doctor replied. "Oi! I didn't say you could go! Article 57 of the Shadow Proclamation. This is a fully established, level 5 planet, and you were going to burn it? What…did you think no one was watching? You lot back here. Now!"

He tossed the phone back to Rory.

"Okay." He said. "Now I've done it."

He walked out and Amy followed.

"Did he just bring them back?" Rory demanded. "Did he just save the world from aliens and then brings all the aliens back again?"

* * *

The Doctor strode down the corridor, while Amy and Rory followed him.

"Where are you going?"Amy called.

"The roof." The Doctor replied. "No, hang on."

He turned and entered the locker room. He began sifting through clothes, throwing away rejects and keeping the acceptable.

"What's in here?" Amy asked.

"I'm saving the world-" he told her. "I need a decent shirt. To hell with the raggedy. Time to put on a show!"

"You just summoned aliens back to Earth." Rory pointed out. "Actual aliens…deadly aliens…"

The Doctor started to strip.

"Aliens of death…" Rory continued awkwardly. "And now you're taking your clothes off…Amy, he's taking his clothes off."

"Turn your back if it embarrasses you." The Doctor told him.

"Are you stealing clothes now?" Rory asked. "Those clothes belong to people, you know."

He turned around, looking at Amy.

"Are you not going to turn your back?" he asked her.

"Nope." She replied, smirking.

* * *

The Doctor banged the door to the roof open, now dressed in a long-sleeved dress shirt, pants with suspenders hanging down, and a number of ties draped around his neck.

He strode up to the Atraxi ship, Amy and Rory standing behind him.

"So this was a good idea, was it?" Amy asked. "They were leaving."

"Leaving is good." The Doctor replied. "Never coming back is better. Come on, then! The Doctor will see you now."

The eye disconnected from the ship and scanned the Doctor.

"You are not of this world." It said.

"No, but I've put a lot of work into it." The Doctor said, examining a tie. "I don't know. What do you think?"

"Is this world important?" the Atraxi asked.

"Important?" the Doctor asked. "What's that mean, important?"

He tossed a tie and Rory caught it.

"Six billion people live here-is that important?" he continued. "My mate lives here, so that makes it important to me. Here's a better question, though. Is this world a threat to the Atraxi?"

He threw another tie and it landed on Amy's shoulder before she handed it to Rory.

"Well, come on." The Doctor said. "You're monitoring the whole planet. Is this world a threat?"

The Atraxi projected a hologram of the Earth with images from its history overlaid.

"No." it answered finally.

"Are the peoples of this world guilty of any crime by the laws of the Atraxi?" the Doctor pushed.

"No." the Atraxi answered.

"Okay." The Doctor replied. "One more. Just one. Is this world protected? Because you're not the first lot to come here."

The projection showed images of the Cybermen, Daleks, Racnoss, Ood, Sycorax, Sontaran, Sea Devil, Reapers, Hath, and Vashta Nerada.

"Oh, there have been so many!" the Doctor said. "And what you've got to ask is…what happened to them?"

The projection now showed images of the different incarnations of the Doctor, until it reached the tenth and it showed Lily at his side, both the human and the Time Lord. As it ended, the Doctor stepped through the image.

"Hello." He said. "I'm the Doctor. Basically…run!"

The Atraxi ship quickly turned tail and fled as Amy laughed. The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out the TARDIS key to see it was glowing.

"Is that it?" Amy asked, looking up. "Is that them gone for good? Who were they?"

She looked down and saw that the Doctor was gone.

* * *

The Doctor ran into Amy's back garden to find a repaired TARDIS. He walked up to it and stopped.

"Okay. What have you got for me this time?" he asked.

He opened the door and stood there, amazed.

"Look at you!" he said, smiling. "Oh, you sexy thing! Look at you!"

* * *

Amy and Rory ran up just as the TARDIS dematerialized. Amy closed her eyes as it disappeared.

* * *

The Doctor appeared in Cardiff and reached out to find Lily. He found her in an alley and quickly made his way towards her. When he reached her, he stood in the shadows, watching as she fought a weevil. Finally, she managed to get her hand in contact with the beast's skin and it went down. As she turned around, he moved further into the shadows. She searched the surrounding area with her eyes, but she finally pulled out her phone and made a call.

"The weevil's down." She said. "Get ready for transport and come meet me."

She hung up and looked around again.

"I'm sorry, Lily girl." The Doctor whispered, assured that she couldn't see or hear him. "I won't risk hurting you. Not again. You'll be safer here. You'll be safe."

He turned and walked away.

Lily looked again before shivering and pulling her jacket tighter.

* * *

Amy was in her bed asleep when the noise of the TARDIS engines woke her up. She jumped out of bed and ran to the window to see the time ship in her back yard once again.

She ran downstairs in her robe and slippers to find the Doctor standing outside of the TARDIS.

"Sorry about running off earlier." He told her. "Brand new TARDIS-bit exciting. Just had a quick hop to the moon and back to run her in. She's ready for the big stuff now."

"It's you." Amy said in wonder. "You came back."

"'Course I came back." The Doctor told her. "I always come back. Something wrong with that?"

"And you kept the clothes." She said.

"Well, I just saved the world, the whole planet, for about the millionth time, no charge." He said. "Yeah, shoot me, I kept the clothes."

"Including the bow tie." She said.

"Yeah, it's cool." He said, touching the item. "Bow ties are cool."

"Are you from another planet?" Amy asked him.

"Yeah." He replied.

"Okay.." she trailed off.

"So what do you think?" the Doctor asked her.

"Of what?" she asked.

"Other planets." He replied. "Want to check some out?"

"What does that mean?" Amy demanded.

"I means…well, it means…come with me." He told her.

"Where?" she asked.

"Wherever you like." He replied.

"All that stuff, the hospital, the spaceships, Prisoner Zero.." she said.

"Oh, don't worry." He assured her. "That's just the beginning. There's loads more."

"Yeah, but those things, amazing things, all that stuff…" she said.

Suddenly she was angry.

"That was two years ago!" she shouted at him.

"Oh-oh!" he said. "Oops."

"Yeah." She replied.

"So that's…" he trailed off.

"14 years!" she shouted.

"14 years since fish custard." The Doctor murmured. "Amy Pond, the girl who waited. You've waited long enough."

"When I was a kid, you said there was a swimming pool and a library, and the swimming pool was IN the library." Amy said. "And that Lily's piano was in there two. You said she was going to kill you. Is she in there?"

The Doctor looked away.

"No." he said softly. "She's not there."

"Where is she?" she asked.

"Safe." He replied. "Where I can't hurt her again."

"How did you hurt her?" Amy asked him.

He sighed.

"It doesn't matter." He replied. "It'll never happen again."

He took a deep breath.

"SO…" he said. "Coming?"

"No!" she replied.

"You wanted to come 14 years ago." He pointed out.

"I grew up." She shot back.

"Don't worry." He told her. "I'll soon fix that."

The Doctor snapped his fingers and the TARDIS doors sprang open, bathing Amy in a warm orange glow. Overwhelmed, she entered.

"Well…?" he asked. "Anything you want to say? Any passing remarks? I've heard them all."

Amy walked up the ramp to the center console in a totally new TARDIS. It had three levels and lots of doors and she could see through the floor to the lower level.

"I'm in my nightie." She said.

"Oh, don't worry, plenty of clothes in the wardrobe." He told her. "AND possibly a swimming pool. So…all of time and space, everything that ever happened or ever will…Where do you want to start?"

"You are so sure that I'm coming." She said.

"Yeah, I am." He replied.

"Why?" she demanded.

"'Cause you're the Scottish girl in the English village, and I know how that feels." The Doctor told her.

"All these years living here most of your life…" he said, "…and you've still got that accent. Yeah, you're coming."

"Can you get me back for tomorrow morning?" Amy asked.

"It's a time machine." The Doctor replied. "I can get you back five minutes ago. Why, what's tomorrow?"

"Nothing." She said, innocently. "Nothing. Just…you know, stuff."

"All right, then." He replied. "Back in time for stuff."

He walked around the console and a cylindrical device rose from one of the panel. He pulled it out to reveal a new screwdriver.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "A new one!"

He tested it, the green light on the end lighting up.

"Lovely." He whispered. "Thanks, dear."

Amy could've sworn the ship just humph-ed.

The Doctor scowled before setting the controls.

"Why me?" Amy asked.

"Why not?" he shot back.

"No, seriously." She said. "You are asking me to run away with you in the middle of the night. It's a fair question. Why me?"

"I don't know." He replied. "Fun. Do I have to have a reason?"

"People always have a reason." She told him.

"Do I look like people?" he asked.

"Yes." She answered.

"I've done the whole travel on my own thing." He told her. "It's okay, but eventually I start to talk to myself. Gives me an earache."

"You're lonely." She said. "That's it? Just that?"

"Just that." He replied. "Promise."

He didn't see the line that ran across the monitor. A line that seemed to look a lot like the crack in Amy's wall.

"Okay." She said.

He reached over and switched off the monitor without looking at it.

"So, are you okay, then?" he asked. "'Cause this place, sometimes it can make people feel a bit…you know."

"I'm fine." She told him. "It's just…there's a whole world in here, just like you said. It's all true. I thought…well, I started to think that maybe you were just like a madman with a box."

"Amy Pond, there's something you'd better understand." He told her seriously. "It's important, and one day your life may depend on it. I am definitely a madman with a box. Ha-ha! Yeah!"

Amy laughed.

"Goodbye, Leadworth!" he called. "Hello, everything!"

The Doctor hit a switch and they both held on as the TARDIS dematerialized.

* * *

As the TARDIS disappeared, a breeze ran into the house and through Amy's room, ruffling the wedding gown hanging on the door of her closet.

A/N: Okay, The Eleventh Hour is done. The Doctor's kind of an idiot isn't he? And for all of you asking when they'll be back together, you better settle in for the long haul. I've already written the reunion, but it's not for awhile and it's going to take a few swift kicks for the Doctor to get his head out of his ass and come crawling back. So let me know what you think.

Abbey


	9. Torchwood January: Memories

Disclaimer: If I owned the Doctor, I would be much happier than I am now.

Ch. 9:

Lily stood in front of the cell containing the Sontaran.

"Name and Rank, soldier." She barked.

The Sontaran ignored her and she glared.

"Do you know who I am?" she demanded.

He glared at her.

"A weak, useless human." He sneered.

"Wrong." She sneered right back.

Lily slammed her hand down on the glass, causing it to ripple and shift with gold light. The Sontaran stumbled back before he could stop himself and when he regained his composure, he still couldn't wipe the fear from his eyes.

"I'm the Phoenix of Gallifrey." She growled. "Bringer of Fire and the Avatar of the Vortex, and you will answer my questions. Now, who are you?"

"Commander Jask of the Forth Sontaran Battle Fleet." He replied, a healthy dose of respect in his voice.

"How did you arrive on this planet, Commander Jask?" Lily asked.

He didn't answer.

"Answer me." Lily ordered.

"I was running." He spat.

Lily stared at him.

"You're Sontaran." She said. "Sontarans don't run."

"They do when faced with what I saw." He told her.

"What?" she demanded. "What were you running from?"

"The cracks." He answered. "The silence."

Lily studied.

"What silence?" she asked. "What are the cracks?"

Jask stared at her for a moment before laughing.

"You don't know?" he asked. "The great and powerful Phoenix, mate to the Doctor, doesn't know?"

"Tell me." She ordered. "What is going on?"

"The universe has cracked." He told her, still laughing.

"How?" she demanded.

"The Pandorica will opened." He told her. "And the silence will fall."

"That's ridiculous." Lily told him. "The Pandorica is a myth. A story told to frighten children, it doesn't exist."

The Sontaran was silent.

"You killed four humans." She accused.

"They made good sport." The Commander replied.

Lily took a step closer.

"Be glad I don't kill in cold blood." She told him. "Usually."

She turned and stalked off.

* * *

"So?" Mickey asked as Lily approached.

He, Martha, Donna, and Shawn were sitting on the couch and chairs, waiting for their fearless leader.

"He says he was running from the cracks and something he calls the silence." Lily said, sitting down.

"Does he know what caused the cracks?" Martha asked.

"He says the Pandorica." Lily said, snorting.

"Um, I know I'm new, so excuse me if this is a dumb question, but what a Pandorica?" Shawn asked.

"It's not a dumb question." Mickey told him. "I'd like to know that too."

"It's just a story." Lily told them. "A fairy tale my brother used to tell me when I was little, on Gallifrey. The Pandorica isn't real."

"Well those cracks are." Martha said.

"What could cause them?" Donna asked.

Lily thought about it for a moment.

"Lots of things." She said. "The most likely are the TARDIS exploding, a rift like the one here experiencing a sudden implosion, and…"

"And?" Donna pushed.

"Well it's only a theory." Lily said. "But, theoretically, if I were to die in a violent way, say an explosion or if I were to overload my power, I could, theoretically, crack space time."

The other four stared at her.

"It's just a theory." She told them.

"How could your death crack space time?" Shawn asked.

Lily sighed.

"I'm a direct conduit to the Time Vortex." She told him. "A physical embodiment of time itself. It's not a coincidence that my mate is Time's Champion."

"So these cracks could be caused by you dying sometime in the future?" Martha asked.

"It's only a theory." Lily replied. "And remember, I'm stuck on Earth. The chances of me being the cause are much less likely than it being something the Doctor has done."

"What are we going to do with the Sontaran?" Mickey asked.

Lily sighed.

"Even if the Doctor or I are not the cause of the cracks, I don't want to risk notifying the Shadow Proclamation." She said. "He can stay in the cell until I figure out a way to send him back to Sontar."

"And the crack?" Martha asked.

"If I had a sonic device, I might be able to close it." The Time Lord replied. "Without one, the only way to close one I can think of is to introduce a complex time event."

"Like what?" Donna asked.

"Like me." Lily replied.

"You can't!" Mickey told her.

"And I won't." Lily assured them. "But if it starts grow, we're going to have to do something. That thing could eat all of Earth and still keep going, growing with everything it took in."

"Okay, growing bad." Donna said. "We'll just have to keep an eye on it."

"That's the plan." Lily said. "Now it's time for all of us to go home."

"Are you still staying at our place?" Donna asked. "Which, by the way, I could fit my old house inside of."

Lily laughed.

"What can I say?" she asked. "It's actually Jack's house, and he didn't go for small. And no, I've got a house he set up for me. I'm gonna go there."

"Are you sure?" Donna asked.

"Yes." Lily said, smiling. "Go home. All of you."

The others spent the next few minutes getting their things together and all called goodnight as they left. When she was alone, Lily moved around the Hub, shutting things down and picking up a few things. Finally, she grabbed her coat and left.

* * *

Lily opened the door to the apartment Jack had given her to use when she was on Earth and sighed. It was pretty bare, just a few chairs and food in the kitchen. She looked around remembering the last time she and the Doctor had been here.

"_Come on, they'll be here any moment!" Lily called._

"_Oh, please." The Doctor replied, dressed in a blue dress shirt, brown pinstriped pants, and a tie hanging loosely around his neck. "It's Jack, Gwen, Rhys, and Ianto. It's not like your hosting a state dinner. Besides, why couldn't we just do this on the TARDIS?"_

_Lily glared at him._

"_Hey, we hardly ever get to see them, and I'm going to have a nice dinner and you're not going to interfere!" she told him, poking him in the chest. "And if we had had it on the TARDIS, you would've disappeared into some project and I want to torture you."_

_He laughed and wrapped his arms around her._

"_I promise to behave." He told her, kissing her forehead._

"_Thank you." She said. "Now finish getting ready."_

"_Yes, ma'am." He said, chuckling._

_He moved away and Lily finished getting the food ready. She had managed to make spaghetti with the Doctor's help and was now setting the table._

_There was a knock at the door and she ran to answer it._

"_Please tell me the food is ready." Jack said as he stood with the others outside. "I'm starving."_

"_Come on in." Lily said, laughing._

_After dinner, the friends all sat around, laughing and talking. Lily was sitting on the couch, leaning into the Doctor as she smiled and talked._

_There was a flash and she turned to see Jack holding a camera, smiling._

"_What was that?" she demanded._

"_Picture." He said, as if talking to a child. _

_Lily stuck her tongue out at him._

Lily sat down on the floor against the wall, holding the only picture she had left of her mate. Everything else was on the TARDIS and, at least for the moment, lost to her. She gently touched the face of the man she had lost, a tear falling down her face.

* * *

Amy wandered around the console as the Doctor muttered, hitting things and growling. On the top of one of the panels was a black photo album. She opened it up and flipped through the pages. There were pictures at the beginning of two brown haired men, a young Asian woman and a man wearing glasses, and a woman with long brown hair, and towards the back there were pictures of a red haired woman, a young black woman, and a man in a pinstriped suit with both a woman with black hair, and a blonde with partially dyed hair.

"Who's this?" Amy asked, holding up the picture of the blonde woman and the man curled up on a couch, smiling. "They look so in love."

The Doctor stared at the picture.

"They were." He said softly.

"Who are they?" she asked, looking back at the picture.

"Just some people I used to know." He replied.

Amy smiled as she looked through the rest of the pictures. She never saw the look of pain on the Doctor's face.

"Ha!" he said, finally. "Back in real space!"

"No way." Amy said, setting the book down.

"What don't believe me?" he asked.

"Nope." She said smiling.

"All right." He said. "You, come with me."

A/N: Okay, so next is The Beast Below. I know I labeled this Torchwood, and added the part with the Doctor in the end, but I figure you don't really care. Tell me what you thought.

Abbey


	10. The Beast Below: The Night Before

Disclaimer: I own the paper it's written on, so that's something.

Ch. 10:

Amy, still in her nightgown and robe, floated outside the TARDIS, the Doctor holding her ankle.

_My name is Amy Pond. When I was seven, I had an imaginary friend. Last night was the night before my wedding…_

"Come on, Pond." The Doctor called, pulling her back inside.

…_and my imaginary friend came back._

"NOW do you believe me?" he asked her.

"Okay, your box is a spaceship." Amy told him. "It's really, really a spaceship. We are in space! Whoo! What are we breathing?"

"I've extended the air shell-we're fine." He replied. "Now, that's interesting."

Below was a giant spaceship.

"29th Century." He told her. "Solar flares roast the Earth," He walked back to the console, "and the entire human race packs its bags and moves out till the weather improves. Whole nations…"

"Doctor?" Amy called.

"…migrating to the stars." He continued.

"Doctor?" she called again.

"Isn't that amazing?" he asked.

"Doctor!" Amy shouted.

The Doctor looked up from the console to see Amy wasn't there. He walked to the door and found her clinging to the roof of the TARDIS.

"Well, come on." He told her. "I've found us a spaceship."

The Doctor walked back to the console and brought the spaceship up on the TARDIS monitor.

"This is the United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland-all of it, bolted together and floating in the sky." He told Amy. "Starship UK. It's Britain, but metal. That's not just a ship-that's an idea. That's a whole country, living and laughing and…shopping." Amy chuckled. "Searching the stars for a new home."

"Can we go out and see?" Amy asked him.

"Course we can but first, there's a thing." The Doctor replied.

"A thing?" she asked.

"An important thing." He told her. "In fact, thing one-" he looked at her through a magnifying glass, "we are observers only. That's the one rule I've always stuck to in my travels. I never get involved in the affairs of other people or planets. Ooh! That's interesting."

The screen now showed a little girl, sitting alone, crying.

"So we're like a wildlife documentary, yeah?" Amy asked. "'Cause if they see a wounded little cub or something, they can't just save it-they've got to keep filming and let it die. That's got to be hard. I don't think I could do that. Don't find that hard? Being all, like, detached and cold?"

The Doctor appeared on the screen and the girl ran away from him.

"Doctor?" Amy called.

The Doctor looked into the camera and waved for her to join him.

She ran out of the TARDIS with a smile.

"Welcome to London Market." A voice announced. "You are being monitored."

Amy looked up at the arched glass ceiling and to the stars beyond it. Around her was a thriving market full of stalls and booths.

"I'm in the future." She said in wonder. "Like hundreds…of years in the future. I've been dead for centuries."

"Oh, lovely. You're a cheery one." The Doctor told her, taking her by the arm and pulling her along. "Never mind dead, look at this place. Isn't it wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Amy asked.

"Use your eyes, notice everything." He told her. "What's wrong with this picture?"

"Is it…the bicycles?" she guessed. "Bit unusual on a spaceship, bicycles."

"Says the girl in the nightie." The Doctor shot back.

"Oh, my God, I'm in my nightie!" Amy gasped.

"Now, come on, look around you." The Doctor told her. "Actually look."

"London Market is a crime-free zone." The voice announced.

"Life on a giant starship, back to basics." The Doctor said. "Bicycles, washing lines, wind-up street lamps. But look closer. Secrets and shadows, lives led in fear. Society bent out of shape, on the brink of the collapse. A police state. Excuse me."

The Doctor ran over to a table and took a glass of water from one of the people sitting there. He gently set it on the floor and looked at it intently. He picked it up and set it back on the table.

"Sorry." He told the people. "Checking all the water in this area. There's an escaped fish."

He tapped the side of his nose and rejoined Amy.

"Where was I?" he asked.

"Why did you just do that with the water?" she asked.

"Don't know." He replied. "I think a lot. It's hard to keep track without Lily. Now, police state-do you see it yet?"

"Where?" Amy asked.

"There." He said, snapping and pointing.

The little girl sat alone on a bench crying while everyone walked past, ignoring her. Amy and the Doctor walked over to another bench and sat down, watching her.

"One little girl crying." Amy said. "So?"

"Crying silently." The Doctor replied. "I mean, children cry 'cause they want attention, 'cause they're hurt or afraid. When they cry silently, it's 'cause they just can't stop. Any parent knows that."

"Are you a parent?" she asked him.

"Hundreds of parents walking past this spot and not one of them's asking her what' wrong," the Doctor said, ignoring her question, "which means…they already know, and it's something they don't talk about. Secrets. They're not helping her, so it's something they're afraid of. Shadows-whatever they're afraid of-it's nowhere to be seen, which means it's everywhere. Police state."

The little girl got up and as a elevator bell rang.

"Where'd she go?" Amy asked.

"Deck 207, Apple Sesame block, Dwelling 54A." the Doctor replied. "You're looking for Mandy Tanner. Oh," he reached into his pocket, "this fell out of her pocket when I accidentally bumped into her." He handed Amy an ID wallet. "Took me four goes. Ask her about those things-" he pointed to a strange carnival looking booth, "the smiling fellows in the booths. They're everywhere."

"But they're just things." Amy said.

"They're clean." He replied. "Everything else here is battered and filthy-look at this place. But no one's laid a finger on those booths. Not a footprint within two feet of them. Ask Mandy, 'Why are people scared of the things in the booths?'."

"No, hang on-what do I do?" she whispered. "I don't know what I'm doing here and I'm not even dressed!"

"It's this or Leadworth." He replied. "What do you think? Let's see. What will Amy Pond choose? Ha-ha, gotcha!" He checked his watch. "Meet me back here in half an hour."

"What are you going to so?" Amy asked.

"What I always do, stay out of trouble." The Doctor replied, standing. "Badly."

He leapt over the bench and walked away.

"So is this how it works, Doctor?" Amy called, getting up and facing the way he went. "You never interfere in the affairs of other peoples or planets, unless there's children crying?"

"Yes." The Doctor called back.

Amy sighed and turned back, trying to figure out which way to go.

* * *

Amy walked over to the strange booth and finally got her bearings. She walked down the street, only for Mandy to appear.

"You're following me." She accused. "Saw you watching me at the marketplace."

"You dropped this." Amy replied, holding out the wallet.

"Yeah, when your friend kept bumping into me." The girl said.

Nearby there was an area of the street that was blocked off.

"What's that?" Amy asked.

"There's a hole." Mandy replied. "We have to go back."

"A what?" Amy asked. "A hole?"

She headed towards it.

"Are you stupid?" Mandy asked. "There's a hole in the road. We can't go that way."

Amy made her way up to the gate.

"There's a travel pipe down by the airlocks, if you've got stamps." Mandy continued. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, don't mind me." Amy replied. "Never could resist a 'keep out' sign. What's through there? What's so scary about a hole? Something under the road?"

Amy sat on the ground and examined the lock.

"Nobody knows." Mandy said, looking to the booth. "We're not supposed to talk about it."

"About what?" Amy asked, turning around.

"Below." The girl replied.

"And because you're not supposed to, you don't?" Amy shot back.

She pulled a hair pin out and began to pick the lock.

"You sound Scottish." Mandy told her.

"I am Scottish." Amy replied. "What's wrong with that? Scotland's got to here somewhere."

"No." Mandy said. "They wanted their own ship."

"Hmm." Amy murmured. "Good for them. Nothing changes."

"So…how did you get here?" Mandy asked.

Neither of them saw the figure in a nearby booth spin around to an angry face.

"Oh, just passing through, you know, with a guy." Amy replied.

"Your boyfriend?" The girl asked.

"Oh." Amy said suddenly.

"What?" Mandy asked.

"Nothing." Amy replied. "It's just…I'm getting married. Funny how things slip your mind."

"Married?" Mandy questioned.

"Yeah, shut up, married." Amy said, laughing slightly at the girl tone. "Really, actually married. Almost definitely."

"When?" Mandy asked her.

"Well, it's kind of weird." She replied. "A long time ago, tomorrow morning. I wonder what I did."

The lock sprang open.

"Hey, hey, result!" Amy exclaimed. "Coming?"

"No!" Mandy replied.

Amy shrugged.

"Suit yourself." She said.

As Amy prepared to go inside, Mandy spied the figure in the booth spin to a third, evil, distorted face.

"Stop!" she shouted as Amy entered the tent. "You mustn't do that!"

* * *

Inside, the tent was dark except for red emergency lights. Amy felt around and found a flashlight, flicking it on. In the light, she saw some kind of creature, or part of a creature, reaching out through the hole, swaying slowly.

"Oh, my God." She gasped. "That's weird. That's…"

The creature struck and Amy fell back, shouting. She quickly crawled out of the tent and froze. She was surrounded by hooded men. One sprayed her with a gas from his ring and Amy fell, unconscious.

A/N: So that's the beginning of The Beast Below. Next will be Earth again. Be warned, the next chapter jumps from January to February. Each corresponding Torchwood episode will take place in a different month. The Eleventh Hour-January, The Beast Below-February, and so on. Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	11. Torchwood February: The Dead Come Back

Disclaimer: Turns out I don't own the paper. My mistake.

Ch. 11:

Martha sat at her desk, watching her friend in her office. Lily was in trouble and Martha knew it.

It had been two months since the Doctor had left his mate on Earth and ran off, and Lily was suffering. Oh, she went on with her life, she saved the Earth, she fought the monsters.

At least the real ones.

Anyone who really knew her could tell she was losing the battle against the ones in her mind.

Where there had once been a vibrant woman, with dyed hair and punkish clothes, who never carried anything more dangerous than a dagger because she didn't need it, there was now a woman dressed all in black, her un-dyed blonde hair pulled in a severe ponytail, with a gun strapped to her hip.

She hadn't used her power in more than a month.

Martha knew she was watching as her friend slowly died of sorrow.

She sighed and looked around the Hub. Her husband sat a little ways away from her, trying to look like he was working as he played solitaire. Donna and Shawn were both in London working on wedding plans, and Gwen was at home, having been officially banned from the Hub after a particularly violent encounter with a weevil.

Without meaning to, Martha's gaze drifted back to Lily in her office. She was staring at a computer screen, seeming to be deep in thought.

Finally she stood up and walked to the doorway.

"Martha, can you come up here?" she called.

Martha nodded and got up, slapping her husband upside the head as she passed him.

"What was that for?" he called.

"I know you have paperwork to do." She replied. "Don't make me remove the games from your computer."

Mickey just grumbled as he clicked out.

Martha smiled and walked into the office.

"What's up?" she asked, sitting down.

"I'm panicking." Lily told her.

"Why?" Martha asked.

"I'm Donna's maid of honor, and the wedding is in two weeks." Lily said.

"Yeah?" Martha replied.

"Well, I'm supposed to be planning some kind of wedding shower, or bachelorette party, or something, and I have no idea what to do!" the Time Lord said, panic slipping into her voice.

"You've been a maid of honor before." Martha told her. "Surely you've done this before."

"I was maid of honor for the other universe's Gwen and Martha, but they were both married during a war." Lily replied. "We didn't really do anything past exchanging vows and running before the church we were in was blown to smithereens. Not really conducive to having a wedding shower."

"I wouldn't imagine it was." Martha agreed.

"You have to help me." Lily told her desperately. "I don't even know where to start."

"Well, first place to start would be, is this going to be a shower or a hen night?" Martha told her.

"Well, I'm sure Sylvia wants it to be a shower, which makes me want to have a party." Lily said smirking. "And I could see Donna going for it, but if we're going to invite people like Nyers, a shower is probably the route to go."

"Okay, well then next step is to figure out where it's going to be." Martha told her. "That depends on how fancy it's going to be."

Lily groaned and hit her head on the desk.

"This is going to be a nightmare." She moaned, her voice muffled since she didn't move her head. "Can't I just take down and alien that ways twice what I do?"

Martha laughed.

"Nope, sorry, you have a party to plan." She told her friend.

"I hate you." Lily told her.

"Oh, calm down." Martha told her. "I'm not about to leave you on your own for this. Donna would kill me."

"Thank you." Lily sighed.

She sat back up and turned the computer so Martha could see it.

"Let's get to work." She said.

* * *

Lily and Martha were deep in party plans when Mickey appeared in the door.

"We just got a call from UNIT." He told them. "They say there's a craft coming straight at us."

The phone rang and Lily sighed.

"If UNIT's already called, that makes this Homeworld Security." She said, grabbing the phone. "Hello, you've reached Torchwood Three, leave us alone."

"Hello to you too, Phoenix." A voice said sarcastically.

"General Jack O'Neill." Lily said smiling. "So I warrant the head of Homeworld Security himself now. I've moved up in the world. Hold that thought."

She pulled the phone away and covered the microphone.

"Call UNIT back, tell them we're on it." Lily ordered Mickey. "Remind them that this is our city and they aren't allowed to interfere without being invited in. This our turf, we'll protect it. And if they protest, tell them they can bite me."

Mickey grinned and went to tell off his wife's former employers.

"Sorry, I have interfering government agencies." Lily told O'Neill. "Please tell me you aren't about to become one of them."

"How does your brother ever put up with you?" The General asked her. "And no, I'm just calling to notify you that we picked up an inbound object heading for you, but it seems UNIT beat me."

"We've got it under control." Lily assured him. "I'll call you later. Better yet, tell your wife to call me. I have some information about the Wraith for Sam that might help with your problem in the Pegasus Galaxy."

"Will do." O'Neill replied.

"Talk to you later, Jack." She said before hanging up and turning to Martha. "Call the police, tell them there's going to be a big bang and we've got it under control and they should leave it alone. Then call Gwen and give her a heads up as to what's up. I'll call Donna and Shawn and then get ready to move out."

Martha got up and left as Lily picked up the phone again.

"Donna?" she called. "We've got a situation. And before you say anything, no you can't come back. Stay in London..."

* * *

The crash sent a boom through the whole city and the news was reporting a gas main break.

"Are there in any gas lines running through the place where the ship crashed?" Lily asked.

"Who knows?" Mickey replied.

"I was kind of hoping we did." Lily replied.

"No such luck." He replied.

"Oh, I'm so glad to be working with such a crack team." Lily said sarcastically.

"Glad to be of service." Martha replied brightly.

"I hate you all." Lily grumbled.

They arrived at the crash site and got out of the car.

"Is it me, or does that shuttle look familiar?" Lily asked.

"Well, wherever it's from, there's something alive in there." Martha replied, studying the device in her hand, trying to fine tune it.

Lily slowly made her way towards the ship as the two humans stayed behind.

"I found the door." She called. "I'm gonna try and open it."

She reached around trying to find a latch.

"Lily." Martha called.

"Hold on." The woman replied, stretching to hit the control.

"Lily!" Martha yelled. "You need to see this!"

The door popped open and Lily stared at the unconscious occupant.

"Lily, that person's got two hearts!" Martha shouted.

"Jenny?" Lily whispered.

Inside was her unconscious, supposedly dead, daughter.

A/N: What do you guys think? Someone suggested (I'll go back and check through reviews to give credit) that I bring back Jenny, so I decided to do just that. Let me know what you think!

Abbey


	12. The Beast Below: Protest or Forget

Disclaimer:  
*John Crichton hops in, in his bunny suit.*  
Me: Uh, John, love? You're in the wrong fic.  
John: Oh. What are you doing?  
Me: Just writing the disclaimer for my Doctor Who story.  
John: Well at least Harvey isn't here.  
Me: *stands there awkwardly* Well, as fun as this is…  
John: Don't mind me. I'll just stand over here.  
Me: *stares at him* John, you're kind of distracting me.  
John: Fine. *He hops off dejectedly.*  
Me: *stares after him before shaking her head* I've got to lay off the caffeine.

Ch. 12:

The Doctor climbed down a ladder and placed his hands on a wall before leaning in to listen.

"Can't be." He said.

He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and took a reading. Glancing down, he saw a glass of water on the floor. He lay down and stared at it.

"The impossible truth in a glass of water." A woman whispered.

The Doctor looked up and saw a woman in a cape and wearing a porcelain looking mask.

"Not many people see it." She said as he stood up. "But you do, don't you, Doctor?"

"You know me?" he asked.

"Keep your voice down." The woman whispered. "They're everywhere. Tell me what you see in the glass."

"Who says I see anything?" he shot back.

"Don't waste time." She whispered. "Tell me, where's the Phoenix?"

"Not here." the Doctor replied. "Why do you think I see anything?"

"At the marketplace, you placed a glass of water on floor, looked at it, then came straight here, to the engine room." She told him. "Why?"

"No engine vibration on deck." The Doctor said. "Ship this size, engine this big, you'd feel it. The water would move. So…I thought I'd take a look."

He opened the power box on the wall.

"It doesn't make sense." He continued. "These power couplings, they're not connected. Look. Look-they're dummies, see?"

He crossed the hall and tapped on the wall.

"And behind this wall, nothing." He told her. "It's hollow. If I didn't know better, I'd say there was…"

"No engine at all." The woman finished.

"But it's working." The Doctor said. "This ship is travelling through space. I saw it."

"The impossible truth, Doctor." The woman said. "We're travelling among the stars in a spaceship that could never fly."

"How?" he asked.

"I don't know." She replied. "There's a darkness at the heart of this nation. It threatens every one of us. Help us, Doctor. You're our only hope. Your friend is safe." She handed him a device. "This will take you to her. Now go, quickly!"

She began to walk away.

"Who are you?" the Doctor called. "How do I find you again?"

"I am Liz 10." She told him. "And I will find you."

There was a crashing sound and the Doctor turned to look, but when he looked back, she was gone.

* * *

Amy woke up in a chair to find herself in a room with one of the booths. In front of her were four monitors.

"Welcome to voting cubicle 330c." a computerized voice said. "Please leave this installation as you would wish to find it."

Amy got up and looked around.

"The United Kingdom recognizes the right to know of all its citizens." The voice continued.

Three buttons lit up: Protest, Record, and Forget.

"A presentation concerning the history of Starship UK will begin shortly." The voice told her. "Your identity is being verified on our electoral roll."

Amy sat down.

"Name-" it said, "Amelia Jessica Pond. Age-1,306."

"Shut up!" Amy gasped, laughing.

"Marital status-" it continued and Amy sat up. "Unknown."

Amy flopped back in her chair as a video of an older man started on all four screens.

"You are here because you want to know the truth about this starship, and I am talking to you because you're entitled to know." The older man said. "When this presentation has finished, you will have a choice. You may either protest…or forget. If you choose to protest, understand this: If just 1% of the population of this ship do likewise, the program will be discontinued, with consequences for you all. If you choose to accept the situation-and we hope that you will-then press the 'forget' button. All the information I am about to give you will be erased from your memory. You will continue to enjoy the safety and amenities of Starship UK, and the price that has been paid for the safety of the British people. May God have mercy on our souls."

Images flashed in front of Amy and before she knew it, she was slamming her hand down on the Forget button, with no memory of what she had just seen. Suddenly, a recording of herself, upset and frantic, started.

"This isn't a trick." She told herself. "You've got to find the Doctor and get him back to the TARDIS. Don't let him investigate. Stop him. Do whatever you have to. Just please, please get the Doctor off this ship!"

The door to the room opened and Mandy was standing outside. As the message started again, the Doctor hopped into the doorway.

"Amy?" he asked as she turned off the message. "What have you done?"

* * *

The Doctor was standing on the chair, using the sonic screwdriver on the lamp.

"Yeah, your basic memory wipe job." He said. "Must have erased about 20 minutes."

He jumped down.

"But why would I choose to forget?" Amy asked.

"'Cause everyone does." Mandy said. "Everyone chooses the 'forget' button."

"Did you?" the Doctor asked her.

"I'm not eligible to vote yet." She replied. "Any time after you're 16, you're allowed to see the film and make your choice. And then, once every five years…"

"And once every five years, everyone chooses to forget what they've learned." The Doctor completed. "Democracy in action. Lily would be so proud."

He headed back to the monitors.

"How do you not know about this?" Mandy asked. "Are you Scottish to?"

"Oh, I'm way worse than Scottish." He replied. "I can't even see the movie. Won't play for me."

"It played for me." Amy said.

"The difference being the computer doesn't accept me as human." The Doctor said.

"Why not?" Amy asked as he turned to look at her. "You look human."

"No, you look Time Lord." He told her as she joined him. "We came first."

"So there are other Time Lords, yeah?" Amy asked.

"Time Lords?" he repeated, hesitating. "No. Just me now. Long story. There was a bad day. Bad stuff happened, and you know what? I'd love to forget it all, every last, hurtful, horrible bit of it, but I don't. Not ever. 'Cause this is what I do-every time, every day, every second. This. Hold tight. We're bringing down the government."

The Doctor slammed his hand down on the 'Protest' button and the door slammed shut, leaving Mandy outside. The smiling figure in the booth turned to show its angry face. The floor began to slide open and the Doctor pulled Amy to the corner.

"Say 'Wheee!" the Doctor yelled.

"Aaargh!" Amy yelled.

They fell down the chute that was now where the floor had been.

When they reached the end, they landed on a wet soft surface with a yell. The Doctor stood and used the sonic screwdriver to scan the surroundings.

"High-speed air cannon." The Doctor said. "Lousy way to travel."

"Where are we?" Amy asked.

"600 feet down, 20 miles laterally-puts us at the heart of the ship." He replied. "I'd say…Lancashire. What's this, then-a cave? Can't be a cave. Looks like a cave."

"It's a rubbish dump." Amy said as she stood. "And it's mingling!"

She threw a piece of trash away.

"Yes, but only food refuse." The Doctor said, sniffing. "Organic, coming through feeder tubes from all over the ship."

"The floor's all squidgy." Amy said, getting down on her hands and knees. "Like a water bed."

"But feeding what, though?" the Doctor continued, ignoring her.

"It's sort of rubbery, feel it." She continued. "Wet and slimy."

There was a distant moaning and the Doctor's face took on a look of realization.

"Er…it's not a floor." He told her, putting the screwdriver away. "It's a…So…"

"It's a what?" Amy asked, standing back up.

"The next word is kind of a scary word." The Doctor told her. "Take a moment. Get yourself in a calm place." He took her hands in his. "Go 'omm'."

"Omm." She said, staring at him like he was crazy, but doing as he said.

"It's a tongue." He told her slowly.

"A tongue?" Amy repeated, the omm obviously not helping.

"A tongue." He confirmed excitedly. "A great big tongue."

"This is a mouth?" she asked, stunned. "This whole place is a mouth? We're in a mouth?"

"Yes, yes, yes, but on the plus side, roomy." He told her.

"How do we get out?" she asked.

"How big is this beastie?" he murmured, taking the screwdriver back out. "It's gorgeous! Blimey! If this is just the mouth, I'd love to see the stomach. Though not right now."

"Doctor, how do we get out?" Amy demanded.

"Okay, it's being fed through surgically implanted feeder tubes, so the normal entrance is…" he said, looking at the teeth in front of them, "closed for business."

"We can try, though." Amy said, moving forward.

"No!" the Doctor said. "Stop, don't move!"

The mouth heaved.

"Too late." He said. "It's started."

"What has?" Amy asked.

"Swallow reflex." He replied.

They slipped and fell as the tongue moved. The Doctor pointed the screwdriver at the walls of the mouth.

"What are you doing?" Amy demanded.

"I'm vibrating the chem.-receptors." He replied.

"Chemo-what?" she asked.

"The eject button." He explained.

"How does a mouth have an eject button?" she demanded.

"Think about it!" he shouted back.

There was a grow and they turned to see a wall of bile coming towards them.

"Right, then." The Doctor said, standing up and straightening his bow tie. "This isn't going to be big on dignity. Geronimo!"

Amy yelled.

A/N: I know the chapters from this episode are shorter, but that's just how the episode is. Sorry. Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	13. Torchwood February: Start Over

Disclaimer:  
*Harry Potter comes walking in*  
Me: Okay, seriously, you guys need to stick to your own stories.  
*Dean Winchester walks in*  
Dean: Does this mean I can't stay?  
Me: *drool* No, you can stay. In fact, come sit by me.  
Harry: Don't you have a disclaimer to write?  
Me: Yeah, yeah, whatever. So, Dean, has anyone ever told you how nice your eyes look?

Ch. 13:

"Where is she?" Donna demanded as she and Shawn ran into the Hub.

"With Jenny." Martha replied. "She's still unconscious."

"How is she even alive?" Donna asked. "We watched her die. We saw her take the bullet for the Doctor and then die in Lily and his arms. How is she here?"

Martha shrugged.

"I have no idea." She replied. "She shouldn't be. She was dead, I checked. There was no sign of regeneration. But it's her Donna. She's got Lily's dagger. Only the real Jenny would have that."

Donna moved to the doorway to look down at her friend.

The Time Lord had the girl's hand in a death grip and Donna could see tears falling down her cheeks.

"Come on, Jenny." Donna heard her whisper. "I need you to wake up. I don't know how you're here, but you're my chance. You're my chance to start again. Please, sweetie. Please wake up."

"Lily?" Donna called softly.

Lily quickly wiped the tears off her face and turned around, not letting go of Jenny's hand.

"Donna." She said.

Donna walked over and wrapped her arm around Lily.

"It's going to be okay." She told her. "She'll wake up and she'll tell us what's going on."

Lily nodded and returned her daughter.

Donna waited for a moment before returning to the others.

"I don't understand this." She said softly. "Jenny was from a different time. A time in the future. How is she here, in this time?"

"I have no idea." Mickey said. "I'm not even sure what's going on. Can someone please explain to me who that girl is again?"

"She's Jenny." Donna told him. "She was made using the Doctor's DNA. That DNA gave her a bond to Lily, who immediately adopted her as her own. It took the Doctor a little longer, but he eventually got there too. But then she stepped in front of a bullet to save him. She died in The Doctor and Lily's arms. We let the people on the planet give her a service. How can she be here?"

"Martha!" Lily yelled.

They all ran to the med center and they stood around the edge as Martha joined Lily. Jenny was whimpering slightly.

"Jenny?" Lily called. "Sweetie, can you hear me?"

"I've…got…to…run…can't…stop…" Jenny moaned quietly.

"Run where?" Lily asked her. "What are you running from?"

"Family…" the girl whispered before passing out.

Lily rounded on the others.

"Get me Jack O'Neill at Homeworld Security and General Whatever his name is, at UNIT." She ordered. "We've got a problem."

She turned back to Jenny and met Martha's eyes.

"Please tell me she didn't mean what I think she meant." She said.

"We've got another Family after us." Lily confirmed. "And this time we've got two Time Lords, no chameleon arch, no way to hide, and a modern day world that's aware of aliens."

Martha sighed.

"Just tell me." She said. "Just how screw are we?"

"Oh, pretty screwed." Lily replied. "At least there are no corsets this time."

Martha sighed again and went to help the others as Lily resumed her vigil.

A half an hour later, Donna came down.

"Mickey's got O'Neill and Mansfield on video." She told her.

"You'll stay with her?" Lily asked, standing up.

"Of course." Her friend replied.

Lily leaned down and kissed Jenny's forehead before squeezing Donna's shoulder and leaving.

As she walked, the face of a worried mother was replaced by that of a professional, and by the time she reached the conference room, all that was left was the Phoenix.

"We've got a problem boys." She said as she walked in front of the camera.

"Twice in one day, Phoenix." O'Neill said smiling. "Sam's gonna get jealous."

"Ah, if only it were so." Lily replied. "But Sam knows you're terrified of her."

"Good point." He replied. "So what's so important you had to drag me out of bed?"

"The ship that crashed was carrying my daughter." Lily told them quickly.

"Is she alright?" Jack asked.

"She's Time Lord." Lily replied. "She'll heal, but right now she's unconscious. A few minutes ago she woke up though and said she was running from a Family."

"A Family?" Mansfield questioned.

"A race of aliens that live in groups of four, a father, mother, son, and daughter." Lily explained. "Their life spans are short, about three months, unless they consume a strong life force. The life of a Time Lord could keep them alive forever. The lives of two could allow them to take over the universe."

"What do you need?" O'Neill asked.

"I need UNIT to give me cover." She told them. "If I'm going to fight the Family, it's going to make a lot of noise, and I don't have the resources to cover it on the international stage."

"We were told to stay out of Cardiff's affairs." Mansfield replied. "Why should we help you now?"

Lily's hands clenched into fists as her eyes flashed gold.

"You do not want to make an enemy of me, General." She told him, her voice deadly. "I will do whatever it takes to save my daughter's life, and I will not let you or any human stand in my way."

Both men were silent.

"If he won't give you cover, we will." O'Neill told her. "What do you need from us?"

"I won't kill them Jack." She replied. "Last time I went up against a Family, I was human, I was with the Doctor and I had the TARDIS at my disposal, and we still didn't kill them. We punished them, but we didn't kill them. I don't have any of those things this time. When I beat them, I'm going to need a way to get them off Earth and to a safe place. I'm hoping you and your Stargate can provide that."

"Where do you want to send them?" he asked.

"There was a planet with a gate on it." She said. "It was being sucked into a black hole."

"We can't connect to that one." He told her, incredulous. "Not without being sucked in ourselves."

"You let me take care of the black hole." She told him. "Just be ready to give me transport when I need it."

"You've got it." O'Neill replied.

"Lily!" Martha called.

"I'll keep you both in the loop." Lily told them, quickly shutting down the link and going back to her daughter.

"I have to go!" Jenny was yelling as she struggled to get away from Martha.

"Jenny!" Lily yelled, jumping the railing and landing in front of her daughter. "Jenny, it's me. It's Lily. It's your mom."

"Mum?" Jenny whispered, staring at her.

Lily reached out and gently touched her shoulder.

_It's alright, sweetheart._ She told her silently. _Your home and I'll keep you safe._

Jenny hesitated for a moment before throwing herself at Lily and hugging her tightly.

"It's alright." Lily whispered. "I've got you. I've got you."

* * *

Donna sat a glass of water in front of Jenny.

"Thanks, Donna." She said softly.

Donna wrapped the girl in a tight hug.

"It's so good to have you back, honey." She told the blonde softly.

Jenny smiled as she walked away.

"I need to know what's happened." Lily said softly. "What happened after you died?"

"I don't know how long I was…dead." Jenny told her. "But I woke up and the first thing I did was run. I knew the chance of finding you and dad was slim, so I just traveled. I had so much fun, mum."

Lily smiled sadly.

"But then they found me." Jenny continued. "The Family of Light. They said they would use my life force, the life force of Time Lord to live forever. I don't even know what it means to be Time Lord, but they're hunting me for it."

"How did you get away from them?" Lily asked.

"I have a Vortex Manipulator." Jenny replied. "I used it to jump through time, but they followed me."

"They probably had one of their own." Lily told her.

"Yeah, well the last jump burned out the Manipulator and my engines with it." Jenny said bitterly. "I thought they would think I'd die, but instead I led them to an even bigger feast."

"You listen to me." Lily told her. "This is not your fault. I've been up against a Family before, and your father and I beat them. I know you and I can do it."

She reached over and took her hand.

"And when this is done," she told her daughter, "we can start over. Be a real family."

"What about dad?" Jenny asked. "Where is he?"

Lily looked away.

"Your father…is away." She finally said.

"What does that mean?" Jenny demanded.

"He was dying." Lily said with a sigh. "Remember when we told you how a Time Lord saves themselves?"

"Yeah, you said we could change every cell in our bodies." She replied.

"Well, that's what he did." Lily told her. "And then he left me here."

"Why?" Jenny asked softly.

Lily shook her head, her eyes bright.

"I don't know." She told her. "He promised he'd come back, but he never did."

"How long ago was this?" Jenny asked.

"Almost three months." Lily replied.

Jenny nodded.

"It doesn't matter." Lily told her. "We'll make a life here. You'll see."

She squeezed Jenny's hand before standing up.

"I've got to go talk to some heads of other organizations." She told her. "Donna's gonna come catch you up on the current state of-"

"Lily, we got in coming!" Mickey interrupted her.

"Crap." Lily said, running out, Jenny on her heels.

A/N: I hope you guys don't mind the inclusion of Stargate into this, I just couldn't resist. Let me know what you think!

Abbey


	14. The Beast Below: The End of Pain

Disclaimer:  
Me: *looks around* Well at least there are other characters today.  
O'Neill: How ya doin'?  
Me: *covers her face with her hand* I've got to learn to not open my mouth.

Ch. 14:

The Doctor and Amy found themselves in an overspill pipe.

"There's nothing broken." The Doctor told her as he examined the door. "There's no sign of concussion, and yes, you are covered in sick."

"Where are we?" Amy asked.

"Overspill pipe, at a guess." He replied.

"Oh, God, it stinks." She said as she stood up.

"That's not the pipe." He told her.

"Oh." She replied, smelling herself. "Whoo! Can we get out?"

"One door, one door switch, one condition." He said, stepping back so she could see the forget button. "We forget everything we saw. Look familiar? That's the carrot."

The lights came up to reveal two Smilers.

"Ooh, here's the stick." He said. "There's a creature living in the heart of this ship. What's it doing there?"

The face spun to reveal their mad faces.

"No, that's not going to work on me, so come on." He told them. "Big old beast below decks, and everyone who protests gets shoved down its throat. That's how it works?"

The faces spun to anger.

"Oh, stop it." The Doctor continued. "I'm not leaving and I'm not forgetting and what are you fellows going to do about it? Stick out your tongues?"

The booth opened and the two Smilers stood up and walked towards Amy and the Doctor, who started to back away.

"Doctor?" Amy asked.

The woman from earlier appeared, shooting the Smilers before twirling her pistol and replacing it in her holster.

"Look who it is." The Doctor said. "You look a lot better without your mask."

"You must be Amy." Liz 10 said, ignoring him. "Liz. Liz 10."

"Hi." Amy replied, confused.

"Question:" the Doctor said, holding up a finger. "How did you know she wasn't the Phoenix?"

"Your mate is just as famous as you, Doctor." Liz replied. "Especially due to her service to the crown as head of Torchwood."

"Head of Torchwood?" he repeated, confused, as Liz held out her hand to Amy.

"Eurgh." She said, taking her hand away and wiping it on her cloak. "Lovely hair, Amy. Shame about the sick." She headed for the door. "You know Mandy, yeah?" she asked, putting her arm around the girl's shoulders. "She's very brave."

"How did you find us?" the Doctor asked.

"Stuck my gizmo on you." She said, throwing the device at him. "Been listening in. Nice moves on the hurl escape. So, what's the big fella doing here?"

"You're over 16, you've voted." The Doctor told her. "Whatever this is, you've chosen to forget about it."

"No." Liz told him. "Never forgot, never voted. Not technically a British subject."

"Then who and what are you?" the Doctor demanded. "And how do you know me? And how do you know the Phoenix?"

"You're both a bit hard to miss, love." She told him. "Mysterious stranger, MO consistent with higher alien intelligence, hair of an idiot…"

The Doctor pointed like he was going to argue, but just ran his hand through his soaked hair instead.

"I've been brought up on the stories." Liz told him. "My whole family was."

"Your family?" The Doctor questioned.

One of the Smilers began to move.

"They're repairing." She told them. "Doesn't take them long. Let's move."

She quickly led them out and down into the lower corridors.

"The Doctor and the Phoenix." She said as they walked. "Old drinking buddies of Henry XII. The Phoenix had tea and scones with Liz II on the weekends during her tenure as Head of Torchwood. Vicky was a bit on the fence about you though, wasn't she? Knighted and exiled you on the same day. And then you and your mate just had to introduce Jack Harkness to the Virgin Queen. There went that nickname."

"Liz 10?" the Doctor asked.

A Smiler rose from a booth in the corridor.

"Liz 10, yeah." She agreed. "Elizabeth X. And down!"

They all ducked as she turned and fired both pistols at the Smiler.

"I'm the bloody Queen, mate." She told him. "Basically, I rule."

She took them into another corridor. It was the base of a long shaft.

"There's a high-speed Vator through there." Liz told them.

The Doctor looked into a caged area where there were two of the things Amy had seen earlier.

"Oh, yeah." Liz said, following his gaze. "There's these things. Any ideas?"

"Doctor, I saw one of these up top." Amy told him. "There was a hole in the road, like it had burst through, like a root."

"Exactly like a root." The Doctor agreed. "It's all one creature-the same one we were inside-reaching out. It must be growing through the mechanisms of the entire ship."

"What?" Liz demanded. "Like an infestation?"

"Someone's helping it." The Doctor told her. "Feeding it."

"Feeding my subjects to it." Liz said. "Come on. We've got to keep moving."

She stormed off and Mandy followed.

"Doctor?" Amy asked when he didn't follow.

"Oh, Amy." He said, staring at the creature as it banged against the bars. "We should never have come here."

All Amy could think about was her video message.

* * *

The Doctor carefully made his way through the maze of glasses on the floor of Liz 10's room.

"Why all the glasses?" he asked.

"To remind me every single day that my government is up to something, and it's my duty to find out what." Liz replied from her bed.

"A queen going undercover to investigate her own kingdom?" the Doctor asked as he picked up the mask she had been wearing.

"Secrets are being kept from me." She replied. "I don't have a choice. Ten years I've been at this-my entire reign-and you've achieved more in one afternoon."

"How old were you when you came to the throne?" the Doctor asked, starting to pace.

"Forty." She replied. "Why?"

"What, you're 50 now?" Amy asked as she put up her hair. "No way!"

She was sitting at the end of the bed on a chaise, next to Mandy.

"Yeah, they slowed my body clock." Liz told her. "Keeps me looking like the stamps."

"And you always wear this in public?" the Doctor asked as he sat on the bed, the mask still in his hands.

"Undercover's not easy when you're me." She told him. "The autographs, the bunting."

"Air-balanced porcelain." He said, holding the mask up. "Stays on by itself, 'cause it's perfectly sculpted to your face."

"Yeah." She said. "So what?"

"Oh, Liz." The Doctor said sympathetically. "So everything."

The door opened and four hooded men entered.

"What are you doing?" Liz demanded, outraged. "How dare you come in here?"

"Ma'am, you have expressed interest in the interior workings of Starship UK." One man said. "You will come with us now."

"Why would I do that?" she asked.

The hooded man's head spun to reveal the face of an angry Smiler.

"How can they be Smilers?" Liz demanded.

"Half Smiler, half human." The Doctor said.

"Whatever you creatures are, I am still your queen." Liz told it. "On whose authority is this done?"

"The highest authority, Ma'am." The Smiler replied.

"I AM the highest authority." She shot back.

"Yes, ma'am." It replied. "You must go now, Ma'am.

"Where?" she asked.

"The Tower, Ma'am." It replied.

* * *

The group was escorted into a large stone room, filled with high tech machinery. There was a grating containing more of the tentacles.

"Doctor, where are we?" Amy asked.

"The lowest point of Starship UK." He replied, spinning around with arms held out. "The dungeon."

"Ma'am." An older man greeted Liz.

"Hawthorne!" Liz exclaimed. "So this is where you hid yourself away. I think you've got some explaining to do."

"There's children down here." the Doctor said. "What's all that about?"

"Protesters and citizens of limited values are fed to the beast." Hawthorne told him. "For some reason, it won't eat the children. You're the first adults it's spared. You're very lucky."

"Yeah, look at us." The Doctor replied. "Torture chamber of the Tower of London. Lucky, lucky, lucky. Except it's not a torture chamber, is it?" He walked over to examine the equipment. "Well, except it is. Except it isn't. Depends on your angle."

He joined Liz by and opening with a railing around it. Inside was something alive.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Well, like I say, depends on the angle." The Doctor told her. "It's either the exposed pain center of big fella's brain, being tortured relentlessly…"

"Or?" Liz asked.

"Or it's the gas pedal, the accelerator." He replied. "Starship UK's go faster button."

"I don't understand." She said.

"Don't you?" he shot back. "Try, go on. The spaceship that could never fly, no vibration on deck. This creature-this poor, trapped, terrified creature. It's not infesting you, it's not invading-it's what you have instead of an engine. And this place down here is where you hurt it, where you torture it, day after day, just to keep it moving."

An intermittent beam shot down into the creature's brain.

"Tell you what." He said as he moved to another well and lifted up the grate. "Normally, it's above the range of human hearing. This is the sound none of you wanted hear."

He used the sonic screwdriver and everyone could hear the creature's call. It's pain.

"Stop it." Liz ordered. "Who did this?"

"We act on instructions from the highest authority." Hawthorne replied.

"I am the highest authority." She shot back. "The creature will be released, now. I said now!" No one moved. "Is anyone listening to me?"

"Liz." The Doctor said, holding up her mask again. "Your mask."

"What about my mask?" she demanded.

"Look at it." He said, throwing it to her. "It's old. At least 200 years old, I'd say."

"Yeah, it's an antique, so?" she asked.

"Yeah, an antique made by craftsmen over 200 years ago and perfectly sculpted to your face." He said. "They slowed your body clock, all right, but you're not 50. Nearer 300. And it's been a long old reign."

"Nah, it's ten years." She replied. "I've been on this throne ten years."

"Ten years." The Doctor agreed. "And the same ten years over and over again," he took her by the hand, "always leading you…" he showed her a voting area, "here."

There were two buttons, one marked 'forget' and the other marked 'abdicate'.

"What have you done?" she demanded, turning back to Hawthorne.

"Only what you have ordered." The man replied. "We work for you, Ma'am. The Winders, the Smilers, all of us."

He turned on the screen.

"If you are watching this…" the Liz on the screen said. "If I am watching this, then I have found my way to the Tower of London."

The real Liz sat down.

"The creature you are looking at is call a Star Whale." The video continued. "Once, there were millions of them. They lived in the depths of space and, according to legend, guided the early space travelers through the asteroid belts. This one, as far as we are aware, is the last of its kind. And what we have done to it breaks my heart. The Earth was burning. Our sun had turned on us, and every other nation had fled to the skies. Our children screamed as the skies grew hotter. And then it came, like a miracle. The last of the Star Whales. We trapped it, we built out ship around it, and we rode on its back to safety. If you wish out voyage to continue, then you must press the 'forget' button. Be again the heart of this nation, untainted. If not, press the other button. Your reign will end, the Star Whale will be released, and our ship will disintegrate. I hope I keep the strength to make the right decision."

"I voted for this?" Amy whispered. "Why would I do that?"

"Because you knew if we stayed here, I'd be faced with an impossible choice." The Doctor replied. "Humanity or the alien. You took it upon yourself to save me from that. And that was wrong. You don't ever decide what I need to know."

"I don't even remember doing it." She protested.

"You did it." He shot back. "That's what counts."

"I'm…I'm sorry." She told him.

"Oh, I don't care." He spat. "When I'm done here, you're going home."

He walked away.

"Why?" she demanded. "Because I made a mistake? One mistake? I don't even remember doing it. Doctor!"

"Yeah." He replied, studying an instrument panel. "I know. You're only human."

"What are you doing?" Liz demanded.

"The worst thing I'll ever do." The Doctor replied. "I'm going to pass a massive electrical charge through the Star Whale's brain. Should knock out all its higher functions, leave it a vegetable. The ship will still fly, but the whale won't feel it."

"That'll be like killing it." Amy said.

"Look, three options." He told her angrily. "One: I let the Star Whale continue in unendurable agony for hundred more years. Two: I kill everyone on this ship. Three: I murder a beautiful, innocent creature as painlessly as I can. And then I find a new name, 'cause I won't be the Doctor anymore."

"There must be something we can do." Liz protested. "Some other way."

"Nobody talk to me." The Doctor yelled. "Nobody human has anything to say to me today!"

He slammed his hands down and stood still for a moment.

"Sorry, Lily-girl." He whispered. "I guess I won't be coming back."

He resumed his work.

* * *

Amy and Mandy sat against the wall and watched helplessly as the Doctor worked. Three children entered the room.

"Timmy!" Mandy shouted, running to one of the children. "You made it, you're okay!"

Timmy said nothing.

"It's me-Mandy." She said.

They were standing in front of one of the tentacles and Amy started to move forward as it reached out to the children, but stopped with it tapped Mandy on the back and let her pet it.

"_C'mon, use your eyes." The Doctor told her. "Notice everything… Notice everything._

Amy remembered seeing Mandy cry.

"_Our children screamed…" Liz on the video told them. "It came_, _like a miracle…"_

"_It won't eat the children." Hawthorne said_

"_Children screamed…then it came…It's the last of its kind."_

She remembered the Doctor with Mandy, the tentacles in the vator shaft, and the glasses of water.

"_Just me now." The Doctor told her._

"_The last of its kind." Liz said_

"_Is this how it works, Doctor?" Amy asked him. "Never interfere with other peoples or planets…"_

"_Children screamed…"_

She remembered the first time she met the Doctor.

"…_unless it's children crying."_

"_The last of its kind."_

"_Just me now."_

"_Unless there's children crying."_

"_Yes."_

"_It won't eat the children."_

"_Then it came. Like a miracle. The last of the Star Whales."_

Amy watched both Mandy and Timmy pet the tentacle.

"Doctor, stop." Amy said, going to him. "Whatever you're doing, stop it now!"

He just ignored her, so she went to Liz.

"Sorry, Your Majesty, going to need a hand." She said, dragging the monarch over to the buttons.

"Amy, no!" the Doctor yelled, rushing towards them. "No!"

Amy forced Liz's hand down on the 'abdicate' button. The Whale bellowed and the whole ship began to shake.

"Amy, what have you done?" the Doctor demanded.

"Nothing at all." She replied. "Am I right?"

"We've _increased_ speed." Hawthorne said.

"Yeah, well, you've stopped torturing the pilot." Amy said, smiling. "Gotta help."

"It's still here?" Liz asked. "I don't understand."

"The Star Whale didn't come like a miracle all those years ago." Amy told her. "It volunteered. You didn't have to trap it or torture it-that was all just you. It came because it couldn't stand to watch your children cry. What if you were really old, and really kind, and alone? Your whole race dead, no future. What couldn't you do then? If you were that old, and that kind, and the very last of your kind…" She turned and looked at the Doctor, "you couldn't just stand there and watch children cry."

* * *

The Doctor was standing alone on the Observation Deck, looking out at the spaceship, when Amy joined him.

"From Her Majesty." She said, holding out the mask. "She says there will be no more secrets on Starship UK. She also said to give you this." She held out a letter. "She said it had been handed down for years so that eventually she could give it to you. She said you'd know who it was from."

The Doctor took the letter and gently touched the familiar hand writing.

"Are you going to tell me who it's from?" she asked.

He just slipped it into his pocket.

"Yeah, I didn't think so." She said.

"Amy, you could have killed everyone on this ship." He told her.

"You could have killed a Star Whale." She shot back.

"And you saved it." He said. "I know, I know."

"Amazing, though, don't you think?" she asked. "The Star Whale. All that pain and misery…and loneliness." She looked at him sideways. "And it just made it kind."

"But you couldn't have know how it would react." He told her.

"YOU couldn't." she said. "But I've seen it before. Very old and very kind, and the very, very last. Sound a bit familiar?"

She hugged him and he hesitated a moment before returning it.

"Hey." She said softly.

"What?" he asked.

"Gotcha." She said, smiling.

"Ha!" he laughed. "Gotcha."

* * *

"Shouldn't we say goodbye?" Amy asked as they walked through the market towards the TARDIS. "Won't they wonder where we went?"

"For the rest of their lives." The Doctor replied. "Oh, the songs they'll write! Never mind them. Big day tomorrow."

"Sorry, what?" she choked.

"It's always a big day tomorrow." He told her, unlocking the TARDIS. "We've got a time machine. I skip the little ones."

"You know what I said about getting back for tomorrow morning?" she asked. "Have you ever run away from something because you were scared, or not ready, or just…just because you could?"

"Once…" the Doctor replied, thinking of the letter in his pocket. "A long time ago."

"What happened?" he asked.

"Hello!" he replied.

A phone began to ring.

"Right." Amy said. "Doctor, there's something I haven't told you. No. Hang on, is that a phone ringing?"

They walked into the TARDIS.

"People phone you?" she asked.

"Well, it's a phone box." He replied. "Would you mind?"

He began pressing buttons, preparing to take off.

"Hello?" Amy answered. "Sorry, who? No, seriously. Who?" She held the phone against her shoulder. "Says he's Prime Minister. First the Queen, now the Prime Minister. Get about, don't you?"

"Which Prime Minister?" the Doctor asked, motioning for Amy to pull a lever.

She did so before moving the phone back to her ear.

"Er, which Prime Minister?" she asked. "The British one."

"Which British one?" the Doctor asked.

"Which British one?" Amy asked into the phone. Her eyes widened and she passed the phone to the Doctor. "Winston Churchill for you."

"Oh!" the Doctor exclaimed, taking the phone. "Hello, dear. What's up?"

"Tricky situation, Doctor." Churchill told him. "Potentially very dangerous. I think I'm going to need you."

"Don't worry about a thing, Prime Minister." He told him. "We're on our way."

* * *

_In bed above, we're deep asleep  
While greater loves lies further deep  
This dream must end  
This world must know  
We all depend on the beast below._

On the side of Spaceship UK glowed the light of a crack.

A/N: So Beast Below is done. Who do you think the letter is from? Let me know what you thought!

Abbey


	15. Torchwood February: Facing Threats

Disclaimer: Okay, I've locked all the other characters away. *hears banging on the door* I give up.

Ch. 15:

Lily ran to the computer where Mickey was, Jenny right on her heels.

"Contact UNIT and Homeworld." Lily ordered. "Tell them to not engage."

Mickey ran to do that and Lily and Jenny watched the coming ship.

"I should go." Jenny said softly. "Lead them away."

"By now they'll have caught my sent." Lily told her daughter. "Like or not, they're here to stay."

"Where will they go?" Jenny asked.

"To your ship." Lily replied. "We'll meet them there, keep them away from my city."

"This is all my fault." Jenny said. "I put you and this planet at risk."

Lily turned and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"This is not your fault." She told her daughter. "I would take you, even with the impending attack, over not ever seeing you again."

Jenny hesitated before hugging her mother tightly.

_I love you, Jenny._ Lily told her. _And I'm not going to let anyone take you away from me again._

_I love you too, mum._ Jenny replied.

They pulled apart and Lily went to the gun locker.

"I thought you and Dad didn't use guns." Jenny said as she followed her mother.

"Things have changed since your father left." Lily replied, not meeting her daughter's gaze. "I still try not to kill people."

Jenny didn't say anything else as her mother armed herself.

"Do you still have my dagger on you?" Lily asked her.

She nodded.

"Good." Lily said. "They should be weak, considering how close to the end of their lives they are, but you should not underestimate them. Do you know if they've taken human shape?"

Jenny nodded.

"I met them on a planet where they were hiding in the human population." She told her.

Lily nodded.

"Good." She said. "That makes things easier."

She walked back to railing.

"Martha, Mickey, and Shawn, with us." She called. "Donna, stay here and keep O'Neill and Mansfield apprised of our movements."

Donna nodded and the others followed the two Time Lords out.

* * *

Lily got out of the car and walked towards where the newest crashed ship was sitting.

"Donna, you reading?" she called.

"Loud and clear." Came Donna's voice over the comms.

"Tell them we're heading towards the Family's ship." Lily relayed. "It's in better shape than Jenny's."

She walked up and stood about ten yards away and Jenny came to stand next to her as the others stood behind them.

Lily stood there, tapping her foot impatiently, waiting for the Family to emerge.

"Are you guys planning to stay in there forever?" she finally called.

The door in the side of the ship hissed and opened, revealing a tall man with brown hair, dressed all in back. He walked out slowly, a menacing look on his face.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" Lily asked.

"Time Lord." The man hissed. "Two Time Lords. A feast for my family."

"Do you guys go to some school to learn how to sound like that?" Lily asked. "'Cause you might want to get your money back."

"You will give yourselves to us, so that we might live." The man ordered as a woman and two young children, a boy and a girl, stepped out behind him.

"Or…" Lily said, "you could turn around, leave, and I'll resist the urge to blow you out of the sky." Her easy demeanor disappeared and all that was left was the icy fury of a Time Lord. "You tried to kill my daughter. By all rights I should kill you, here and now. So take the offer, turn and run."

"We will feast." The man replied. "And all this world will know is the blood and pain of our joy."

Lily's answer to that was to whip out her pistol and shoot him in the leg. She slipped it back into the holster as he fell to the ground.

"See, I don't responded to threats very well." She told him conversationally. "I used to be better at it, but then I regenerated, and this version seems to not like dealing with them. I just eliminate them."

She walked forward and squatted in front of the Father.

"I'll give you one last chance." She told him. "Just one more. Run."

The Mother growled and rushed at Lily only to be stopped by Jenny holding her mother's dagger to the woman's throat.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." She said softly.

The Son whipped out a gun and shot at Jenny, but it hit a gold wall and Lily turned to look at him.

"You know, I've never understood why you try to hunt Time Lords." She said. "We're stronger, we're faster, we're smarter. You'd think you'd just stay away."

The Daughter reached into her pocket, but Lily shook her head.

"I wouldn't do that." She told the girl. "I'm really trying to not kill you, but you're testing my patience."

She sighed and stood up.

"I'm giving you one last chance." She said.

The Father growled.

"Fine." Lily growled.

A wave of gold rolled away from her and the Family fell to the ground, unconscious.

Lily sighed and stood up.

"Why are they always so uncooperative?" she asked.

"I ran from them for two and a half months." Jenny said, looking down at the Family. "You took them down in ten minutes."

"Helps when you have the powers of the vortex." Lily told her. "Come on, we have to get them to Stargate Command."

* * *

"I still say this is a bad idea." O'Neill said as they stood in the underground bunker that housed the Stargate.

The giant ring stood in a room below them, the symbols on it turning as it dialed.

"My people invented black holes." Lily told him. "I can keep the effects from affecting us."

"Sixth Chevron locked." A man called.

"Phoenix…" O'Neill said.

"Oh, calm down." She told him. "Your people out?"

"Have been for the last few minutes." He replied.

She nodded. A second later, a gold barrier formed around the gate.

"Shall we?" she asked, motioning to the door.

"Seventh Chevron locked." The man called.

A giant wall of silver flared out from the gate before settling into the gate, like a puddle of water standing on its side.

"Is there any effect from the black hole?" O'Neill asked.

"All reading are normal." The other man replied.

"Trust me now?" Lily asked.

"Fine." O'Neill replied. "Let's get this over with."

They walked down to where Jenny stood, the Family still unconscious at her feet. They moved them to the base of the gate and Lily leaned down and touched each member on the forehead, waking them up.

"You wanted to live forever." She told them as they stood. "On the other side of that wormhole is just that. Forever."

Without waiting for a reply, she and Jenny shoved them through the gate. O'Neill motioned for the man in the control room to shut it down, but nothing happened.

"We can't disengage." The man reported.

"Oops." Lily said. "My fault. I'll fix it."

She went to the gate and touched the side of the ring. Power jumped from her to the gate and there was a bright flash before the gate shut down.

"What did you do?" O'Neill asked.

"Interrupted the power flow from the other gate." Lily replied, walking towards the door. "It was just a black hole."

O'Neill and Jenny watched her walk out.

"You know, your mom is kinda scary." He told the young woman.

Jenny smiled at him.

"You should meet my dad." She replied. "The only thing scarier than one of them on their own is the two of them together."

She grinned at the look of horror on his face and followed her mother out.

* * *

The next night, mother and daughter were in a bar in London, celebrating Donna's upcoming wedding.

"You planned this didn't you?" Sylvia demanded as she walked up. "A bar."

"At least there are no strippers." Lily replied, sipping her beer.

Jenny laughed as the woman huffed before walking away.

"You know, I love your Aunt Donna." Lily told Jenny. "But that woman hates me." She sighed. "I'm going to get another beer, you want anything?"

Jenny shook her head and Lily walked away.

Martha sat down a second later.

"Did you get it?" Jenny asked her.

"I really don't feel comfortable hiding this from your mum." Martha replied. "She hasn't smiled in months. You're the only thing that's brought her happiness since he left."

"I know, Aunt Martha." Jenny replied. "And I'm going to try to stay for as long as I can. This at least gives me something to focus on other than how bored I am, stuck on this planet."

Martha sighed and pulled Jenny's Vortex Manipulator out of her pocket, handing it to the woman.

"It'll destroy her if you leave." She told Jenny. "I still believe the Doctor will come back, but she doesn't. I'm not sure she can survive losing both of you."

"I know." Jenny replied. "What is he thinking, leaving her here?"

"He's running." Martha said. "It's his default reaction. He's scared so he's running."

"What's he scared of?" Jenny demanded.

"Same thing she was scared of when she regenerated." Martha told her. "That she won't love him. That she won't forgive him. She sent him away for awhile when she regenerated, he's just taking it to the extreme." She smiled softly. "What they forget is they're two half's to the same whole. They need each other to survive. But he'll remember and he'll come back. Just like always."

"I wish I was a sure." Jenny said, slipping the manipulator into her pocket. "I wish I knew he won't just leave her."

"Trust me." Martha told her. "He'll come back."

"What are we talking about?" Lily asked, coming back.

"Just what humans do at parties." Jenny replied quickly.

"Yes, well, to that end." Lily said, setting down her drink and grabbing her daughter's hand. "Come on."

"What are we doing?" Jenny demanded.

"Teaching you to dance." Lily said, leading her onto the floor. "Someone needs to, and I will die before I let your father do it."

The two Time Lords spent the rest of the night, dancing and forgetting their troubles.

* * *

The Doctor picked up the letter Liz had given him and opened it while Amy looked for something to wear in the wardrobe.

_Doctor- _ Lily wrote to him.

_So, still running are we, love? _

_That's alright. By the time I write this, you will have already come and gotten me, but for now, you should know that you're an idiot, but I still love you. _

_I just wanted you to know that even though I'll be angry with you when you come get me, you shouldn't let that discourage you. I will always love you, no matter how angry I am with you. Just be prepared to be in the dog house for awhile. _

_Also you should start thinking of how you're going to explain that whole 'I'm the last of the Time Lords, but wait I'm not' thing that you got yourself into with Amy. _

_Yes, I know about Amy. _

_If you want to tell me something, you should leave a letter with Churchill. He'll make sure it gets to me. _

_And to address your fears and reasons for running:_

_I still love you and will continue to even if you turn into a dog. A slight change in appearance isn't going to make me run for the hills, just like my change didn't drive you away._

_I don't blame you for Koschei's death. That was of his and Rassilon's doing, not yours. You did everything you could. The only one who blames you is you. _

_I love you, Doctor, and you'll know when it's time to stop running and come home. Until then, take care of yourself._

_Always yours-_

_The Phoenix_

The Doctor smiled sadly before sliding the letter back into the envelope.

"I love you too, Lily-girl." He whispered to the empty room. "And I will come back. Soon. I promise."

He put the letter in the photo album that was still sitting on the console as Amy walked back in, no longer in her nightgown.

"Ready?" he asked.

"No." she replied.

The Doctor grinned and put the TARDIS back in flight.

A/N: So what do you guys think?


	16. The Victory of the Daleks: Return

Disclaimer: I wish it was mine, but then I also wish Santa was real. I guess we can't always get what we want…no you can't always get what you want….you can't always get what you want…but if you try sometimes you just might find…you get what you need…great now I need to write a disclaimer for my disclaimer.

Ch. 16:

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS to find himself at gunpoint. The soldiers parted and Winston Churchill stepped forward.

"Amy…" the Doctor said, holding out his arm in introduction. "Winston Churchill."

"Doctor?" Churchill asked. "Is it you?"

Amy stepped out and stared at Churchill.

"Oh, Winston, my old friend!" the Doctor said, going to shake his hand, but Churchill just motioned for the Doctor to give him something. "Ah, every time!"

"What's he after?" Amy asked.

"TARDIS key, of course." The Doctor told her.

"Think of what I could achieve with your remarkable machine, Doctor!" Churchill told him. "The lives that could be saved!"

"Ah, doesn't work like that." The Doctor told him as he closed the TARDIS door.

"Must I take it by force?" Churchill asked.

"I'd like to see you try." The Doctor shot back.

"At ease." Churchill ordered and the soldiers lowered their rifles.

"You rang?" the Doctor asked.

* * *

The Doctor, Amy, and Churchill walked down a corridor, the Doctor carrying Churchill's cane.

"So you've changed your face, again." Churchill said.

"Yeah, well, had a bit of work done." The Doctor replied.

"Got it, got it, got it!" Amy said as they walked into a room. "Cabinet War Rooms, right?"

"Yup." The Doctor confirmed. "Top secret heart of the War Office, right under London."

"You're late, by the way." Churchill told him.

"Requisitions, sir." A woman said, stepping up to the man.

"Excellent." He replied.

"Late?" the Doctor asked.

"I rang you a month ago." Churchill replied as he signed the papers.

"Really?" The Doctor said. "Sorry. Sorry, it's a Type 40 TARDIS who's slightly annoyed with me at the moment. I'm just running her in."

"Something the matter, Breen?" Churchill asked as he handed the clipboard back to the woman. "You look a little down in the dumps."

"No, sir." She replied, hugging the clipboard to her chest. "Fine, sir."

"Action this day, Breen!" he told her. "Action this day!"

"Yes, sir." Breen said, forcing a smile on her face as she nodded and walking waking.

"Excuse me, sir, got another formation coming in, Prime Minister." An officer reporter called. "Stukas, by the look of them."

"We shall go up top then, Group Captain!" Churchill replied. "We'll give 'em what for! Coming, Doctor?"

"Why?" he asked.

"I have something to show you." Churchill replied, snatching back the cane.

The Doctor mouthed 'Oooh' and Amy giggled.

* * *

Churchill started the elevator and puffed on his cigar as the Doctor waved the smoke away and Amy stood behind them.

"We stand at a crossroads, Doctor." Churchill told them. "Quite alone, with our backs to the wall. Invasion is expected daily. So I will grasp with both hands anything that will give us an advantage over the Nazi menace."

"Such as?" the Doctor asked.

The elevator stopped and Churchill opened the gate.

"Follow me." Churchill told him.

He led them out on to the room where a man in a white coat was watching the sky with binoculars.

"Wow!" Amy said, looking out at a Blitz ready London.

"Doctor, this is Professor Edwin Bracewell, head of our Ironsides Project." Churchill told them.

The Doctor held up a V for Victory sign.

"How d'you do?" Bracewell said, waving, before for looking through his binoculars again.

A formation of German planes approached and the Doctor and Amy went to the edge to look out over London.

"Oh, Doctor…" Amy breathed. "Doctor, it's…"

"History." He finished.

"Ready, Bracewell?" Churchill called.

"Aye-aye, sir." The man replied, giving a thumbs up. "On my order! Fire!"

From within an area closed off by sandbags, a laser beam fired at the German planes and they were destroyed.

"What was that?" Amy asked.

"That wasn't human, that was never human technology." He replied. "That sounded like…Show me! Show me what that was!"

He climbed up the ladder to stand next to Bracewell.

"Advance!" Bracewell ordered.

"Our new secret weapon!" Churchill announced.

The Doctor watched in horror as a Dalek pained in Army khaki and a Union Jack painted under the eyestalk, it's lights covered, trundled out.

"What do you think?" Churchill asked. "Quite something, eh?"

"What are you doing here?" the Doctor demanded of the Dalek.

"I AM YOUR SOLDIER." The Dalek replied.

"Stop this." The Doctor ordered. "Stop now! You know who I am, you always know."

"YOUR IDENTITY IS UNKNOWN." The Dalek replied.

"Perhaps I can clarify things here." Bracewell interrupted. "This is one of my Ironsides."

"Your what?" the Doctor demanded.

"You will help the Allied cause in any way that you can?" Bracewell asked the Dalek.

"YES." It replied.

"Until the Germans have been utterly smashed?" he asked it.

"YES."

"Ad what is your ultimate aim?" he asked.

"TO WIN THE WAR!" the Dalek replied

* * *

The Doctor stood looking over Bracewell's blueprints.

"They're Daleks!" he insisted. "They're called Daleks!"

"They are Bracewell's Ironsides, Doctor!" Churchill shot back. "Look! Blueprints, statistics, field-tests, photographs. He invented them!"

"Invented them?" the Doctor scoffed. "Oh, no, no, no!"

"Yes!" Churchill said. "He approached one of our brass hats a few months ago. Fella's a genius."

"A Scottish genius, too." Amy added. "Maybe you should listen to…"

"Shh!" the Doctor cut her off. "He didn't invent them! They're alien."

"Alien?" Churchill asked.

A Dalek glided past the open doorway and the Doctor looked at it over his shoulder. The Dalek viewed the action in the room before continuing on.

"And totally hostile!" the Doctor told him.

"Precisely." Churchill said. "They will win me the war!"

He turned over the blueprint to show a large propaganda poster with a Dalek on it.

* * *

"Why won't you listen?" the Doctor demanded as he and Amy followed Churchill down the corridor. "Why call me in if you won't listen to me?"

"When I rang you a month ago, I must admit, I had my doubts." Churchill told him. "The Ironsides seemed too good to be true."

"Yes!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Right! So destroy them! Exterminate them!"

"But imagine what I could do with a hundred!" Churchill said. "A thousand!"

"I am imagining." The Doctor replied as a Dalek passed them. "Listen to me, Winston!"

He grabbed his arm and made the man stop.

"My mate gave her life to defeat the Daleks." He told him seriously. "Everything she was, everything she had. She gave her power and her humanity just so she could defeat the Daleks. You can_not _ trust them. Amy, tell him."

"Tell him what?" Amy asked.

"About the Daleks!" the Doctor told her as Churchill walked away.

"What would I know about the Daleks?" she asked.

"Everything." He replied, looking at her strangely. "They invaded your world, remember? Planets in the sky, you don't forget that! Amy…Tell me you remember the Daleks."

"Nope, sorry." She told him.

"That's not possible." He said softly.

* * *

A Dalek glided past them as they entered the War Room.

"So they're up to something, but what is it?" the Doctor asked.

"Well, let's just ask, shall we?" Amy said, walking over to one of the Daleks.

"Amy…." The Doctor called. "Amelia!"

Amy ignored him, tapping on the Dalek. It swiveled to focus its eyestalk on her.

"CAN I BE OF ASSISTANCE?" it asked.

"Oh." She said. "Yes. Yes! See, my friend reckons you're dangerous. That you're an alien. Is it true?"

"I AM YOUR SOLDIER." The Dalek replied.

The Doctor watched the conversation thoughtfully.

"Yeah." Amy continued. "Got that bit. Love a squaddie. What else, though?"

"PLEASE EXCUSE ME." The Dalek replied. "I HAVE DUTIES TO PERFORM."

The Doctor stalked over to Churchill and pulled the cigar out of his mouth.

"Winston, Winston, please." The Doctor pleaded.

"We are waging total war, Doctor!" Churchill told him. "Day after day, the Luftwaffe pound this great city like an iron fist."

"Wait till the Daleks get started." The Doctor shot back.

"Men, women, and children slaughtered." Churchill continued. "Families torn apart. Wren's churches in flames."

"Yeah?" the Doctor said. "Try the Earth in flames!"

"I weep for my country, I weep for my empire." Churchill told him. "It is breaking my heart."

He moved around the table and the Doctor followed him.

"But you're resisting, Winston!" he told him. "The whole world knows you're resisting! You're a beacon of hope."

"But for how long?" Churchill asked, signing more papers. "Millions of innocent lives will be saved if I use these Ironsides now!"

"CAN I BE OF ASSISTANCE?" a Dalek asked.

"Shut it!" the Doctor snarled at it before turning back to Churchill. "Listen to me. Just listen! The Daleks have no conscience, no mercy, no pity. They are my oldest and deadliest enemy. You cannot trust them!"

"If Hitler invaded hell, I would give a favorable reference to the Devil!" Churchill told him. "These machines are our salvation!" A siren began to sound. "Oh, the all-clear. We are safe. For now."

He turned and left.

The Doctor and the Dalek stared at each other for a second before it, too, turned and left.

"Doctor, it's the all-clear." Amy said. "Are you okay?"

The Doctor picked up an officer's cap and twisted it in his hands.

"What does hate look like, Amy?" he asked.

"Hate?" she asked.

"It looks like a Dalek." He told her. "And I'm going to prove it."

He tossed the cap in the air before putting it on the desk as he walked out.

A/N: Start of the Victory of the Daleks. Tell me what you think.

Abbey


	17. Torchwood March: Unusual Wedding Issues

Disclaimer: If I owned the Doctor, the world would be a better place.

Ch. 17:

Lily walked into the hotel room and took a step back. Everywhere she looked, women ran around, trying to get ready for the wedding. She tried to turn around, but Jenny stopped her and pushed her into the room.

"Uh uh." She told her mother. "If I have to do this, so do you. Especially because you happen to be the maid of honor."

With Lily in her dark blue, strapless bridesmaid dress, and un-dyed blonde hair in a loose bun , and Jenny in her simple, light green dress, the two Time Lords looked like sisters instead of mother and daughter.

"I hate dresses." Lily muttered as they walked further into the room. "They're completely impractical."

"I like them." Jenny said as she smoothed out a wrinkle on her dress. "They're pretty. I don't like the fact that there's no place to put a weapon."

"Yeah, well, thanks to you and your ships long range communications we managed to fix, I got the word out that no one is to mess with us today." Lily said. "There should be no problems. Helps that your father isn't here to screw it up, too."

Jenny frowned at the way Lily casually talked about the Doctor, knowing how much it really hurt her that he wasn't here.

"Lily!" Donna called.

Lily took a deep breath and put on a smile and dragged Jenny over to where Donna was getting ready. Donna laughed when she saw Lily's face.

"If you could not look like I'm putting you through an intense torture session, that would be great." She told her friend. "You're maid of honor, you're supposed to be happy."

Lily smiled a more natural smile and hugged her friend.

"I am happy." She told her. "I just really hate-"

"Dresses." Donna finished. "I'm aware. Suck it up."

Lily stuck her tongue out at her and Donna's focus switched to Jenny.

"Oh, Jenny, you look beautiful!" she cried.

Jenny smiled and hugged her.

"Thanks, Aunt Donna." She said. "You look lovely. Shawn's a lucky guy."

Donna laughed.

"And just think." Lily told her. "This time we're sure he's not an alien or even insane! Except for the whole marrying you thing."

Donna swatted at her.

"So, you ready?" Lily asked her.

Donna took a deep breath.

"Yes?" she said.

"Oh, you'll be fine." Sylvia said, bustling in. "It's not like the men are beating down your door. Shawn is a good choice."

Donna stared at her mother while Lily rolled her eyes, making Jenny laugh.

"And you." Sylvia said, rounding on Lily. "There better be no funny business like last time."

Lily raised her hands.

"We weren't even here for the last debacle." Lily protested.

"Yes, well, at least that Doctor isn't here." Sylvia said, walking away.

Both Jenny and Donna saw a flash of pain on Lily's face before the smile was firmly back in place.

"Sorry about her." Donna told her.

Lily waved a hand.

"Doesn't matter." She said, grinning. "Let's get you ready to go."

Lily helped Donna get into her dress and put the finishing touches on her hair and makeup before getting the veil on.

In the middle of all this, Martha appeared.

"I'm just here to get Jenny." She said. "You look lovely, Donna."

"Thanks, Martha." She replied, grinning.

Lily leaned over and kissed Jenny's cheek.

"I'll see you after the service." She told her.

Jenny smiled and followed Martha out.

"They're right." Lily told her friend. "You look fantastic. I wish the Doctor could see you. He'd be so happy for you."

Donna stood and hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry he's not here." she whispered. "I wish there was something I could do to make it hurt less."

"Hey, none of that." Lily told her with mock strictness. "This is your day. No being sad for things we can't change, right?"

Donna smiled and nodded.

There was a knock on the door and Lily went to answer it.

"Package for a Miss Donna Noble?" a young man said.

"Wedding gifts go downstairs." Lily told him.

"This one has to be signed for." He told her.

Lily sighed and took the pen from him, but froze when she saw the return address.

"Uh, Donna?" she called. "We've all moved up in the world."

"What do you mean?" Donna asked, coming to stand behind her.

"I mean, you just got a wedding gift from the queen of England." Lily said, showing the address to her friend.

"No way." Donna said, snatching the gift away.

"Ah ah!" Lily said, snatching back. "Wedding first, gifts after."

"I also have a letter for a Phoenix?" the man said.

Lily turned back and looked at him oddly.

"I'm the Phoenix." She said. "What are you talking about, what letter?"

"All I know is I got it at the same time as the package." The man told her. "You have to sign for it too."

She stared at him as she signed and took the letter.

"Thanks." She said.

He nodded and walked away as she shut the door.

"Who'd be sending me a letter?" Lily asked.

Donna opened her mouth to answer, but there was a crash and a scream.

"Stay here." Lily ordered, handing her the letter. "Oh, your mom is going to kill me."

She ran out the door.

* * *

She found the source of the commotion was in the kitchen, and that Jenny, Martha, and Mickey were already there. As she ran in, Martha held out a gun to her and she took, quickly sliding the clip Mickey handed her into it and cocking it.

"You're really not going to like this." Martha told her.

She opened the door and motioned for Lily to go in. The Time Lord walked in and swore.

One the wall of the storage closet was a shining crack.

"Sylvia is so going to kill me." She moaned.

"I never did like that woman." A voice said.

Lily spun around and found her gun trained on someone she never thought she'd see again.

"So." Lance said. "Where's my fiancé? Where's Donna?"

A/N: I know it's short, but I want to leave you with that cliff hanger. What can I say? I'm evil.

Abbey


	18. The Victory of the Daleks: Plans Reveal

Disclaimer: I love the Doctor more than life itself. That should be enough.

Ch. 18:

The Doctor and Amy made their way to Bracewell's office and the Doctor began checking everything out.

"All right, Prof!" he said. "The PM's been filling me in. Amazing things, these Ironsides of yours. Amazing. You must be very proud of them."

"Just doing my bit." Bracewell replied.

"Not bad for a Paisley boy." Amy said, picking up a wrench.

The Doctor sat down and began reading a file.

"Yes, I thought I detected a familiar cadence, my dear." Bracewell said, smiling.

"How did you do it?" The Doctor asked. "Come up with the idea?"

"How does the muse of invention come to anyone?" Bracewell said.

"But you get a lot of these clever notions, do you?" the Doctor pushed.

"Well, ideas just seem to teem from my head!" Bracewell told him. "Wonderful things! Like…let me show you." He showed them some files. "Some musings on the potential of hypersonic flight. Gravity bubbles that could sustain life outside of the terrestrial atmosphere! Came to me in the bath!"

"And are these your ideas or theirs?" the Doctor asked.

"No, no, no, no." the man replied. "These robots are entirely under my control, Doctor. They are…" a Dalek brought him tea, "Thank you…the perfect servant, and the perfect warrior."

"I don't know what you're up to, Professor," the Doctor told him, "but whatever they've promised, you cannot trust them! Call them what you like, the Daleks are death!"

"Yes, Doctor." Churchill said, walking in, followed by a Dalek. "Death to our enemies! Death to the forces of darkness, and death to the Third Reich!"

"Yes, Winston, and death to everyone else too!" the Doctor shot back. "Death to everyone I love, death to everything you and I hold dear!"

"WOULD YOU CARE FOR SOME TEA?" the Dalek asked.

"Stop this!" the Doctor shouted, sending the tray and cup flying to the ground. "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

"WE SEEK ONLY TO HELP YOU." The Dalek replied.

"To do what?" the Doctor demanded.

"TO WIN THE WAR." The Dalek replied.

"Really?" the Doctor scoffed. "Which war?"

" I DO NOT UNDERSTAND." The Dalek said.

"This war, against the Nazis?" the Doctor asked. "Or your war? The war against the rest of the Universe? The war against all life-forms that are not Dalek?"

"I DO NOT UNDERSTAND." The Dalek repeated. "I AM YOUR SOLDIER."

"Oh, yeah?" the Doctor asked, picking up a giant wrench. "Okay, soldier, defend yourself!"

"Doctor, what the devil…?" Bracewell shouted.

"YOU DO NOT REQUIRE TEA?" the Dalek asked.

The Doctor kept hitting it.

"Stop it!" Bracewell pleaded. "Prime Minister, please!"

"Doctor, please, these machines are precious." Churchill told him.

"Come on!" the Doctor shouted. "Fight back! You want to, don't you? You know you do!"

"I must protest!" Bracewell insisted.

"What are you waiting for?" the Doctor yelled. "You hate me. You want to kill me. Well, go on! Kill me. Kill me!"

He continued hitting the Dalek.

"Doctor, be careful!" Amy said, pushing him back.

"PLEASE DESIST FROM STRIKING ME." The Dalek told him. "I AM YOUR SOLDIER."

"You are my enemy!" the Doctor shouted, punctuating each sentence with hits. "And I am yours! You are everything I despise! The worst thing in all creation! I've defeated you time and time again, I've defeated you! My mate destroyed you! I sent you back into the void! Lily saved the whole of reality from you! I am the Doctor! And you are the Daleks!"

He kicked the Dalek and it rolled back.

"CORRECT." The Dalek replied, it's demeanor changing. "REVIEW TESTIMONY."

"I am the Doctor!" a recording played back. "And you are the Daleks!"

"Testimony?" the Doctor asked. "What are you talking about, testimony?"

"TRANSMITTING TESTIMONY NOW." The second Dalek said.

"Transmit what, where?" the Doctor demanded.

"TESTIMONY ACCEPTED!" the first Dalek said.

"Get back!" the Doctor ordered the others. "All of you!"

"Marines!" Churchill called. "Marines! Get in here!"

Two Marines entered and one of the Daleks killed them.

"Stop it!" Bracewell ordered. "Stop it, please! What are you doing? You are my Ironsides!"

"WE ARE THE DALEKS!" the first Dalek shot back.

"But I created you!" Bracewell protested.

"NO." the Dalek replied, shooting off Bracewell's hand and revealing a stump of wires and circuits. "WE CREATED YOU!"

"VICTORY!" both Daleks cried in unison. "VICTORY! VICTORY!"

They teleported away.

"What just happened, Doctor?" Amy asked.

"I wanted to know what they wanted, what their plan was." The Doctor replied. "I was their plan!"

He ran out of the room.

"Hey!" Amy called after him.

* * *

The Doctor ran straight to the TARDIS.

"'Testimony accepted'!" he said. "That's what they said! My testimony."

"Don't beat yourself up." Amy told him, following him. "You were right. What do we do? Is this what we do now? Chase after them?"

"This is what I do." The Doctor replied. "It's dangerous, so wait here."

Churchill came to stand behind Amy.

"What, so you mean I've got stay safe down here in the middle of the London Blitz?" Amy demanded.

"Save as it gets around me." He replied, going to step into the TARDIS.

"The Phoenix." Amy said, stopping him in his tracks. "Would she go with you?"

"You're not her." He replied softly without looking at her.

Amy took a step back.

"No." she said. "I guess I'm not."

The Doctor hesitated a moment before stepping inside and closing the door.

Amy and Churchill watched as the TARDIS disappeared.

"What does he expect us to do now?" Amy asked softly.

"KBO, of course." Churchill replied.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"Keep buggering on!" Churchill replied.

* * *

The Doctor adjusted the controls, searching. His eyes fell on the album. He opened it and looked at the picture of him and Lily, as they had been, him in his pinstripe suit and Lily with her black hair.

"I won't let them win, Lily girl." He whispered. "I swear."

He took a deep breath before focusing on the monitor. A second later, the Dalek ship appeared.

"Bingo!" he said.

* * *

Breen entered the War Room with a communiqué.

"Prime Minister." She said.

"Yes?" he replied.

"Signal from RDF, sir." She said, handing him the paper. "Unidentified object. Hanging in the sky, Captain Childers says. We can't get a proper fix, though. It's too far up."

"What do you think, Miss Pond?" Churchill asked. "The Doctor's in trouble and now we know where he is."

"Yeah." Amy replied. "'Cause he'll be on that ship, won't he? Right in the middle of everything."

"Exactly!" Churchill agreed.

* * *

The TARDIS materialized in the Dalek ship and the Doctor stepped out, rubbing his hands.

"How about that cuppa now, then?"he asked.

"IT IS THE DOCTOR!" one of the Daleks called. "EXTERMINATE!"

"Wait, wait, wait, I wouldn't if I were you!" the Doctor said, pulling out a small round object and held it out in front of him. "TARDIS self-destruct. And you know what that means. My ship goes, you all go with it."

"YOU WOULD NOT USE SUCH A DEVICE." A second Dalek said.

"Try me." The Doctor said as the first Dalek moved forward. "Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. No scans! No nothing! One moves and I'll destroy us all, you got that? TARDIS bang-bang, Daleks boom!" The Dalek moved back. "Good boy."

He moved to look at the Daleks' instrument panels.

"This ship's pretty beaten up-running on empty, I'd say, like you." The Doctor said. "When we last met, you were at the end of your rope. Finished."

"ONE SHIP SURVIVED." The second Dalek told him.

"And you fell back through time, yes?" the Doctor said. "Crippled? Dying?"

"WE PICKED UP A TRACE." The Dalek replied. "ONE OF THE PROGENITOR DEVICES."

"Progenitor?" the Doctor questioned. "What's that when it's at home?"

"IT IS OUR PAST." The Dalek said. "AND OUR FUTURE."

"Ohhh, that's deep." The Doctor said. "That is deep for a Dalek. What does it mean, though?"

"IT CONTAINS PURE DALEK DNA." A third Dalek explained. "THOUSANDS WERE CREATED, ALL WERE LOST, SAVE ONE."

"Okay, but there's still on thing I don't get, though." The Doctor said. "If you've got the Progenitor, why build Bracewell?"

"IT WAS...NECESSARY." The second Dalek said.

"But why?" the Doctor asked. "I get it. Oh, I get it! I get it. Oh, ho, this is rich! The Progenitor wouldn't recognize you, would it? It saw you as impure, the DNA is unrecognizable as Dalek. Oh, Lily would love this!"

"A SOLUTION WAS DEVISED." The second Dalek said.

"Yes, yes, yes." The Doctor said. "Me. My testimony. So you set a trap, you knew that the Progenitor would recognize me. The Daleks' greatest enemy! It would accept my word. My recognition of you."

The second Dalek turned to the instrument panel behind it.

"No, no, no." the Doctor said, holding up the object again. "What are you doing?"

"WITHDRAW NOW, DOCTOR, OR THE CITY DIES IN FLAMES." The third Dalek said.

"Who are you kidding?" the Doctor shot back. "This ship is a wreck, you don't have the power to destroy London."

"WATCH AS THE HUMANS DESTROY THEMSELVES." The second Dalek said.

* * *

Everyone in the War Room began to panic as lights came on all over the city.

"The generators won't switch off!" an office reported as he tried to turn them off. "The lights are on all across London, Prime Minister!"

"Has to be them." Amy said. "Has to be the Daleks."

"The Germans can see every inch of the city." Churchill said. "We're sitting ducks. Get those lights out before the Germans get here!"

"Confirm, Squadron 244 and 56 mobilized." A woman said into a radio.

"Emergency, emergence, 109?" Breen called. "109, confirm?"

"Thousands will die if we don't get those lights out now." Churchill said.

"German bombers sighted over the Channel, sir." Breen reported. "ETA 10 minutes, sir."

"Here they come." Churchill said. "Get a message to Mr. Attlee. War Cabinet meeting at 0300-if we're all still here."

"We can't just sit here!" Amy said. "We've got to take the fight to the Daleks!"

"How?" Churchill demanded. "None of our weapons are a match for theirs."

"Oh, look, we must have something." Amy said, looking around frantically before her eyes landed on something. "Oh! Staring us in the face! A gift! From the Daleks!"

A/N: Second chapter of Victory of the Daleks. Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	19. Torchwood March: Things Change

Disclaimer: If I really wanted to, I could take over the world. So just hand over the Doctor and I'll let you keep your countries. Seem fair?

Ch. 19:

Lily didn't move her gun as she stared at Lance.

"This isn't possible." She said. "You're dead. I watched you die. You can't be here."

"I don't even know who you are." Lance said. "But I'm obviously not dead."

Lily's eyes flicked to the crack.

"You fell through that." She said.

"I guess." Lance replied. "Mind telling me who you are?

He started to move, but Lily flicked off the safety and he froze.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." She told him. "I don't know exactly what's happening, but if you move, I will shoot you."

"I just want to find my fiancé." He said, holding up his arms.

"What, the one you dosed with Huon particles?" Lily shot back. "And then tried to feed to the Racnoss?"

Lance's face fell.

"How did you know that?" he demanded.

"You may not recognize me." Lily told him. "You thought my mate and I were from Mars."

"Her." He whispered. "That Lily girl. But she looked nothing like you."

"You were right." She told him. "We were from somewhere other than Earth, you just got the planet wrong. I may not look like her, but I assure you, I still hold her grudges, and both of us totally hate you."

She motioned for him to move out the door. When the three outside saw Lily emerge with her gun trained on the man, they all brought their own weapons to bare.

"Mum, what's going on?" Jenny asked.

"Jenny, meet your Aunt Donna's ex-fiancé." Lily said.

"The one that tried to kill her?" Jenny asked, confused. "I thought he was dead."

"So did I." Lily replied. "I guess we're not the only ones who get to come back from the dead."

"What do we do with him?" Mickey asked.

"I don't know." Lily replied. "The cracks are having a bigger effect than I thought. If he's here, that means they're changing history, and I have no way of judging how badly they've damaged the time line."

She sighed and hit the back of Lance's head with the butt of her gun.

"Tie him up and lock him in a room." Lily ordered. "I have to figure out a way to explain how Donna's dead fiancé just appeared at her wedding."

"Good luck with that." Martha said, helping her husband lift Lance and carry him out.

"Thanks." Lily muttered before turning to Jenny. "Go find Shawn and bring him to the room. I think bad luck is out at this point."

Jenny nodded and went to get the groom.

"So," Lily muttered to herself as she left to find Donna. "Remember how we thought your old fiancé was dead? Guess what…"

* * *

"What do we do?" Donna demanded as she paced.

Lily stood watching her friend and Shawn sat staring at the floor.

"We go on as planned." Lily told her. "You get married and have your day and you let me deal with the ex from hell."

Donna sat heavily next to Shawn.

"Why can't we just have one normal day?" she asked.

Lily went and kneeled in front of her, taking her hands in her own.

"You choose this when you choose to travel with the Doctor and me." She told her friend. "You could've turned away and forgotten us and this world, but you choose knowledge over ignorance. This world is dangerous and hard, but it's also beautiful and exciting." She sighed. "I'm doing my best to protect you, but sometimes these things happen. You know that."

Donna sighed.

"I know." She said. "I don't blame you or regret coming with you, I just hate him for ruining this." She hesitated. "What are you going to do?"

"Erase his memories." Lily told her, sighing. "Erase everything relating to the Racnoss and you and me and the Doctor. Erase the last two or three years of his life and check him into a hospital. There's still a missing persons report out on him. They'll question the fact that he doesn't look any older, but it's the best we can do."

"Will I have to see him?" Donna asked.

"You can't." Lily told her. "You could trigger a recall, and we can't risk it. The official story is that he ran out on you on your wedding day. That gives us cover for you refusing to see him."

Donna nodded and Lily smiled at her.

"Everything's going to be alright." She assured her friend.

Donna hugged her before they both stood up.

"Just give me 30 minutes, and then we can get this show on the road." Lily told her.

"Someone will have to let the guests know." Shawn pointed out.

"I'll send Jenny." Lily said. "You go back to your room and Donna will stay here."

She looked at her friends.

"I'm going to fix this." She told them. "Nothing is going to mess this up for you two."

She smiled before leaving.

Outside she found Jenny waiting for her.

"I need you to let the guests know that it's going to be a half an hour." Lily told her. "Then join me in the room. It'll be easier if there are two of us doing this."

"I don't know how." Jenny pointed out.

"I can guide you." Lily told her. "We need to fix this."

Jenny nodded and left to deliver her message, while Lily moved to the door where Martha was standing guard.

"What's happening?" she asked Lily.

"I'm going to erase him memory." The Time Lord replied.

"You can do that?" Martha asked, surprised.

Lily nodded.

"The Doctor's better at than me, but I'll have Jenny to help." She replied. "And even if I couldn't do it, Torchwood's got the RetCon."

Martha nodded.

They waited for a few more minutes until Jenny showed up.

"Let's get this show on the road." Lily sighed.

A/N: The Lance story is going to be pretty much wrapped up in the next chapter because I want to focus on the wedding towards the end. Let me know what you guys think.

Abbey


	20. The Victory of the Daleks: Face to Face

Disclaimer: Please just stop asking. It's depressing.

Ch. 20:

"Turn those lights off now." The Doctor ordered. "Turn London off or I swear I will use the TARDIS self-destruct!"

"STALEMATE, DOCTOR." The second Dalek said. "LEAVE US, AND RETURN TO EARTH."

"Oh, that's it?" the Doctor asked. "That's your great victory? You leave?"

"EXTINCTION IS NOT AN OPTION." It replied. "WE SHALL RETURN TO OUR OWN TIME AND BEGIN AGAIN."

"No, no, no!" the Doctor shouted. "I won't let you get away this time! I won't!"

There was a sudden whoosh and then a soft thrumming.

"WE HAVE SUCCEEDED." The third Dalek announced. "DNA RECONSTRUCTION IS COMPLETE."

The Daleks glided back as the cubicle was enveloped in red energy. The doors slid open amidst sparks.

"OBSERVE, DOCTOR," The second Dalek said, "A NEW DALEK PARADIGM!"

The Doctor watched as new, larger Daleks emerged, each a different color: white, blue, yellow, orange, and red.

"THE PROGENITOR HAS FULFILLED OUR NEW DESTINY." The second Dalek declared. "BEHOLD, THE RESTORATION OF THE DALEKS! THE RESURRECTION OF THE MASTER RACE!"

* * *

Amy and Churchill entered Bracewell's lab to find him holding a gun to his head.

"Bracewell!" Churchill yelled. "Put the gun down!"

"My life is a lie," Bracewell replied, "and I choose to end it."

"In your own time, Paisley boy," Amy said as she went to stand next to him, "because right now we need your help."

"But those creatures...my Ironsides…they made me?" he said. "I…I can remember things, so many things. The last war-the squalor and the mud and the awful, awful misery of it all. What am I? What am I?"

"What you are, sir, is either on our side, or theirs." Churchill told him. "Now, I don't give a damn if you're a machine, Bracewell…Are you a man?"

"Listen to me." Amy told him, gently taking the gun. "I understand. Really, I do. Look, there is a spaceship up there lighting up London like a Christmas tree. Thousands of people will die tonight if we don't stop it, and you're the only one who can help take it down."

"I am?" Bracewell asked.

"You're alien technology." Amy told him. "You're as clever as the Daleks are, so start thinking! What about rockets? You got rockets? 'Cause you said gravity whatsits, hypersonic flight, some kind of missile."

"This isn't a fireworks party, Miss Pond!" Churchill exclaimed. "We need proper tactical…A missile…or…?"

"Or what?" Amy asked as he trailed off.

"We could send something up there, you say?" the Prime Minister asked.

"With a gravity bubble, yes." Bracewell replied, showing him the plans. "Theoretically it's possible we could actually send something into space."

"Bracewell…"Churchill said. "It's time to think big!"

* * *

"ALL HAIL THE NEW DALEKS!" the first Dalek proclaimed. "ALL HAIL THE NEW DALEKS!"

"YES, YOU ARE INFERIOR!" the White Dalek announced.

"YES." The first Dalek replied.

"THEN PREPARE." The White Dalek announced.

"WE ARE READY." The original Daleks replied.

"CLEANSE THE UNCLEAN!" the White Dalek ordered. "TOTAL OBLITERATION! DISINTERGRATE!"

The Blue Dalek shot the first and third Daleks and the Red Dalek shot the second.

"Blimey, what do you do to the ones who mess up?" the Doctor asked.

"YOU ARE THE DOCTOR!" the White Dalek said. "YOU MUST BE EXTERMINATED!"

"Don't mess with me, sweetheart!" the Doctor replied, taking out the small device.

* * *

All around, people were on radios, moving representations of flying squadrons as dust fell from the ceiling as the city was bombed.

"Advancing bombers approaching in strike formation." Came the report. "Incendiary bombs have hit the East end of London."

Bracewell entered, his arm in a sling, with a device on a wheeled office chair and a homemade headset.

"At last!" Churchill called. "Are they ready?"

"I hope so." Bracewell replied. "But in the meantime…" he placed the device, which had a small screen and control knobs, on the desk. "This will pick up Dalek transmissions."

He slapped the side and The Doctor and the White Dalek appeared on the small black and white screen.

"WE ARE THE PARADIGM OF A NEW DALEK RACE." The White Dalek said.

"It's him!" Amy exclaimed. "It's the Doctor!"

* * *

"SCIENTIST, STRATEGIST," the White Dalek announced. "DRONE, ETERNAL, AND THE SUPREME."

"Which would be you, I'm guessing?" the Doctor said. "Well, you know, nice paint job. I'd be feeling pretty swish if I looked like you. Pretty 'Supre-eme'."

* * *

"He's got company." Amy said. "New company. We've got to hurry up!"

A phone rang and Bracewell answered.

"Yes?" he said. "Right. Right, thanks!" He hung up. "Ready when you are, Prime Minister."

"Splendid!" Churchill exclaimed.

"Spaceship's exact coordinates located!" Bracewell announced as the ship appeared on the screen.

"Go to it, Group Captain!" Churchill ordered. "Go to it!"

"Broadsword to Danny Boy!" the Group Captain called. "Broadsword to Danny Boy! Scramble! Scramble! Scramble!"

* * *

"Question is, what do we do now?" the Doctor asked. "Either you turn off your clever machine or I'll blow you and your new paradigm into eternity."

"AND YOURSELF." The White Dalek declared.

"Occupational hazard." The Doctor replied.

"SCAN REVEALS NOTHING!" the Blue Dalek said. "TARDIS SELF-DESTRUCT NON-EXISTENT!"

"All right," the Doctor agreed, taking a bite of the cookie, "it's a Jammy Dodger, but I was promised tea!"

A siren sounded and the Blue Dalek went to the scanner.

"ALERT!" it called. "UNIDENTIFIED PROJECTILE APPROACHING!"

The Doctor went to a second scanner.

"CORRECTION." The Blue Dalek said. "MULTIPLE PROJECTILES!"

"WHAT HAVE THE HUMANS DONE?" the White Dalek demanded.

"I don't know." The Doctor replied.

"EXPLAIN!" the White Dalek demanded. "EXPLAIN! EXPLAIN!"

"Danny Boy to the Doctor!" came over the radio. "Danny Boy to the Doctor! Are you receiving me? Over."

"Oh, Winston!" the Doctor exclaimed. "You beauty!"

* * *

Outside the ship was an RAF squadron.

"Danny Boy to the Doctor!" the lead pilot called. "Come in. Over."

* * *

"Loud and clear, Danny Boy!" the Doctor replied. "Big dish, side of the ship, blow it up! Over!"

"EXTERMINATE THE DOCTOR!" the White Dalek ordered.

As the Daleks fired, the Doctor escaped to the TARDIS.

* * *

"You heard him, Group Captain!" Churchill called. "Target that dish! Send in all we've got!"

Amy watched the action on the screen of Bracewell's receiver.

"4-4 to Danny Boy." The Group Captain called. "Target the dish and stop that signal."

"Over." The Lead Pilot replied. "Understood, sir. Over. You can count on us! Over."

"Oh, good luck, lads!" one of the women called.

* * *

"Okay, chaps." The Lead Pilot said. "Let's put London back under cover of darkness. Tally ho!"

The squadron began firing on the Dalek ship and the dish.

"Cover my back, going in close!" the Lead Pilot called, but the Dalek ship began firing back. "Pull out, pull out."

One of the planes was shot down.

* * *

Everyone who could be was gathered around the screen.

"We've lost Jubilee, sir!" the Lead Pilot reported. "Over!"

"Beam still active, sir." The Group Captain reported.

"Then send them in again!" Churchill ordered.

The Group Captain relayed the order and the planes attacked again.

"Flintlock's down sir," the Lead Pilot reported, "and the dish seems to be protected. Over."

* * *

"Danny Boy to the Doctor…" came over the radio in the TARDIS. "Only me left now. Anything you can do, sir? Over."

The Doctor picked up a small microphone.

"The Doctor to Danny Boy…" he called. "The Doctor to Danny Boy. I can disrupt the Dalek shields, but not for long. Over."

"Good show, Doctor, go to it." The Pilot replied. "Over."

The Doctor started the TARDIS.

* * *

"Going in." the Pilot reported. "Wish me luck. Over."

* * *

The Doctor frantically worked the controls as the Pilot made his approach.

The shields went down and the dish was destroyed.

* * *

"Direct hit, sir!" the Group Captain announced.

Everyone cheered as the lights all over London went out.

A/N: Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	21. Torchwood March: Second Chances

Disclaimer: If I admit I don't own the Doctor can I keep the TARDIS?

I don't own Two is Better Than One. I think Boys Like Girls does, but Taylor Swift probably gets some of those royalties too.

Ch. 21:

Lily and Jenny entered the room to find Lance slowly coming around.

"You hit me." He moaned.

"You tried to kill me." Lily said as she squatted down in front of him. "It's only fair."

He just glared at her.

"What are you going to do with me?" he demanded.

Lily turned to Mickey and motioned for him to leave.

"Are you sure?" the man asked, glancing at Lance.

"We'll be fine." Lily assured him.

Mickey nodded and walked out. Lily turned back to Lance and answered his question.

"I'm going to give you a second chance." She told him.

She reached forward and grabbed his face between her hands. She quickly entered his mind.

_Jenny?_ She called.

_I'm here. _her daughter replied, her mind joining her mother's.

_I need you to keep me on course._ Lily told her. _Don't let me get distracted. If you feel me wavering, just push me back on course._

_Understood._ Jenny replied.

Lily quickly moved through the man's memories, wiping them as she went. She was disgusted by some of the things she saw, but every time she was distracted, Jenny brought her back. Lily moved further and further back until she found the point where the Racnoss first found Lance.

_He was walking along the road when there was a bright flash._

_Suddenly he was in front of a giant spider thing. He fell back in terror._

"_You will serve us." The spider told him. "And you will be rewarded."_

Lily watched as he slowly accepted the Queen of the Racnoss's offer before quickly wiping that memory as well and putting him in a deep sleep.

She pulled out of the man's mind and Jenny steadied her as she wobbled.

"Are you alright?" she asked her mother.

Lily smiled slightly.

"I'm fine." She replied, sitting back. "Go get Martha and Mickey."

Jenny nodded and quickly moved to the door. Lily shut her eyes and took a deep breath. Jenny came back a moment later, Mickey and Martha behind her.

"Get him someplace and call in an anonymous tip." Lily ordered as Jenny helped her up. "He'll wake up in about three hours with no memory of the last two years or so."

Mickey nodded and quickly picked the man up.

"Are you going to be alright?" Martha asked.

Lily smiled.

"I'm fine." She told her friend. "We'll hold the wedding until you get back, but try to be as quick as possible."

Martha nodded and she and her husband made their way out.

"Are you alright?" Jenny asked, looking at her mother shrewdly.

Lily smiled softly.

"He never even like her." She said softly. "I thought maybe the Racnoss came to him after he met her, but she came long before. He just used her. I don't know which is worse, that he never loved her or that he chose her as the most gullible."

"That isn't Aunt Donna anymore." Jenny told her. "You and Dad made her better. And Shawn loves her and we'll always be there to protect her now."

Lily smiled and nodded before hugging her daughter tightly.

"I'm so glad you're here." she told her daughter softly.

Jenny didn't say anything, she just hugged her mother.

* * *

Lily and Jenny stood waiting for Martha and Mickey.

"If they don't get back soon, Sylvia's going to be out for my blood." Lily muttered, making Jenny laugh.

A few minutes later, Mickey's car pulled up and he and his wife jumped out.

"Thank God." Lily said, hurrying them inside. "Any longer and I was going to have to change my name to hide from Sylvia."

"You are ridiculously afraid of that woman." Martha told her as they walked inside.

"Yeah, whatever." Lily replied. "Get inside so we can start."

She kissed Jenny's cheek before herding them inside and running to the room where Donna was.

"Everyone's here." she replied, grabbing her bouquet. "Ready?"

Donna took a deep breath and smiled.

"Yeah." She replied. "Let's do this."

Lily smiled and opened the door for her.

* * *

Lily stood in the background watching as her friend and her new husband arranged all the pictures to their liking. Well, Donna's liking at least.

She pulled her hair out of its bun with a sigh and let it fall around her face. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sylvia and Wilf walk away and her breath caught as she spotted a familiar blue box.

A second later, she started to cry as The Doctor in his pinstriped suit stepped out, looking decidedly worse for wear. She watched as he talked to the two humans. Despite how badly she wanted to run to him, she stayed where she was, tears falling down her face as she watched her mate say goodbye to his best friend from a distance.

He handed something to Sylvia and watched as she took it to Donna. As Donna continued to order everyone around, the Doctor turned and walked back to the TARDIS.

The wind blew, obscuring Lily and her tears behind her hair as the man she loved disappeared on his journey to his death.

She reached up and blew a kiss.

"Be safe, my love." She whispered.

"Mum?" Jenny said, coming up behind her. "Was that…?"

"It was just a memory." Lily told her, wiping her eyes as she turned around. "Come on. Your Aunt will kill us if we miss pictures."

Jenny nodded and Lily linked her arm with hers as they walked off.

* * *

"We didn't tell him you were here." Wilf told Lily as they sat at the reception. "Just like you said."

"Good." Lily replied. "He has to make the choice on his own."

They all turned as Donna got up on the stage.

"So, it's time for the dancing." She announced. "And for the first dance, my maid of honor has agreed to sing."

"Since when?" Lily called, making the everyone laugh.

"Come on, Lils." Martha said. "It's been ages since we've heard you sing."

"Martha…" Lily whined.

"Please, mum?" Jenny asked.

Lily sighed and made her way up to the stage.

"I hate you." She told her best friend.

"And I love you." Donna replied, hugging her.

She walked off stage and joined Shawn as Lily sat down at the piano and, after a moment began to play.

"_I remember what you wore on the first day  
You came into my life and I thought  
'Hey, you know this could be something'_

'_Cause everything you do and words you say_

_You know that it all takes my breath away _

_And now I'm left with nothing_

_So maybe it's true _

_That I can't live without you_

_And maybe two is better than one_

_But there's so much time_

_To figure out the rest of my life_

_And you've already got me coming undone_

_And I'm thinking two is better than one._

_I remember every look upon your face_

_The way you roll your eyes _

_The way you taste_

_You make it hard for breathing_

'_Cause when I close my eyes and drift away_

_I think of you and everything's okay_

_I'm finally now believing_

_That maybe it's true _

_That I can't live without you_

_And maybe two is better than one_

_But there's so much time_

_To figure out the rest of my life _

_And you've already got me coming undone_

_And I'm thinking two is better than one._

_I remember what you wore on the first day_

_You came into my life and I thought 'Hey'._

_Maybe it's true_

_That I can't live without you_

_Maybe two is better than one_

_But there's so much time_

_To figure out the rest of my life _

_And you've already got me coming undone_

_And I'm thinking_

_I can't live without you_

'_Cause, baby, two is better than one_

_But there's so much time _

_To figure out the rest of my life _

_But I'll figure it out _

_When all is said and done_

_Two is better than one_

_Two is better than one."_

Everyone clapped as the song ended and Shawn gently kissed Donna.

A/N: What did you guys think?

Abbey


	22. The Victory of the Daleks: Win or Lose

Disclaimer: Stop making me say it! It's cruel and unusual punishment and I have rights!

Ch. 22:

"Danny Boy to the Doctor…" the Lead Pilot called. "Going in for another attack."

"The Doctor to Danny Boy." The Doctor replied. "The Doctor to Danny Boy. Destroy this ship! Over."

"What about you, Doctor?" the Pilot asked.

"I'll be okay." The Doctor replied. "And on the off chance I'm not," He hesitated a second before taking a deep breath, "tell Winston to get a message to the Phoenix in 2010. Tell her…tell her I'm sorry. Tell her I love her."

Suddenly, the White Dalek appeared on the monitor.

"DOCTOR!" He called. "CALL OFF YOUR ATTACK!"

"Ah-ha, what?" the Doctor asked. "And let you scuttle off back to the future? No fear. This is the end for you. The final end!"

"CALL OFF THE ATTACK, OR WE WILL DESTROY THE EARTH." The Dalek replied.

"I'm not stupid, mate!" the Doctor told him. "You've just played your last card!"

"BRACEWELL IS A BOMB." The White Dalek told him.

"You're bluffing." The Doctor shot back. "Deception's second nature to you. There isn't a sincere bone in your body. There isn't a bone in your body!"

"HIS POWER IS DERIVED FROM AN OBLIVION CONTINUUM!" the White Dalek said. "CALL OFF YOUR ATTACK OR WE WILL DETONATE THE ANDROID."

"No!" the Doctor yelled. "This is my best chance ever! The last of the Daleks! I can rid the Universe of you, once and for all!"

"THEN DO IT." The White Dalek shot back. "BUT WE WILL SHATTER THE PLANET BELOW! THE EARTH WILL DIE SCREAMING!"

"And if I let you g, you'll be stronger than ever." The Doctor said. "A new race of Daleks."

"THEN CHOOSE, DOCTOR!" The White Dalek challenged. "DESTROY THE DALEKS OR SAVE THE EARTH. BEGIN COUNTDOWN OF OBLIVION CONTINUUM! CHOOSE, DOCTOR! CHOOSE! CHOOSE!"

"The Doctor to Danny Boy." The Doctor called, picking up the microphone. "The Doctor to Danny Boy. Withdraw."

"Say again, sir." The Pilot replied. "Over."

"Withdraw!" the Doctor ordered. "Return to Earth. Over and out."

"But sir…!" the Pilot protested.

"There's no time, you have to return to Earth now!" the Doctor told him. "Over!"

The Doctor quickly set the coordinates for Earth and the moment it rematerialized, he dashed out.

He ran straight to Bracewell, surprising everyone as he punched the android, sending him to the ground as the Doctor shook his head in pain.

"Doctor!" Amy exclaimed, appalled.

"Ow!" the Doctor whined. "Sorry, Professor. You're a bomb! An inconceivably massive Dalek bomb."

"What?" Bracewell asked.

"There's an Oblivion Continuum inside you." The Doctor told him. "A captured wormhole that provides perpetual power. Detonate that, and the Earth will bleed through into another dimension!"

He knelt down next to Bracewell and opened the man's shirt, pulling out the sonic screwdriver.

"Now keep down!" he ordered as he used the screwdriver to reveal the mechanics underneath the skin.

There was a circular pad divided into sections glowing blue on Bracewell's chest. They watched as one section turned yellow.

"Well?" Amy asked.

"I dunno, I dunno, I dunno!" the Doctor said, shaking the screwdriver. "Never seen one up close before!"

"So, what, they've wired him up to detonate?" she asked.

"Not wired him up!" the Doctor replied. "He is a bomb. Walking, talking," he made and exploding sound, "exploding! The moment that flashes red."

"There's a blue wire or something you have to cut, isn't there?" Amy asked. "There's always a blue wire. Or a red one."

The Doctor stood up.

"You're not helping!" he told her.

"It's incredible." Churchill said. "He talked to us about his memories. The Great War…"

"Someone else's stolen thoughts, implanted in a positronic brain." The Doctor murmured as he tossed the screwdriver from hand to hand. "Tell me about it. Bracewell! Tell me about your life!"

He knelt next to the android.

"Doctor, I really don't think this is the time!" Bracewell replied.

"Tell me and prove you're human." The Doctor told him. "Tell me everything."

One section of Bracewell's chest turned red and the second was now yellow.

"My family ran the Post Office." Bracewell said. "It's a little place just near the abbey. Just by the ash trees. There used to be eight trees but…but there was a storm."

"And your parents?" the Doctor pushed. "Come on! Tell me!"

"Good people." Bracewell replied. "Kind people. They…they died. Scarlet fever."

"What was that like?" the Doctor asked. "How did it feel?"

"Please…" Bracewell protested.

"How did it make you feel, Edwin?" the Doctor demanded. "Tell me! Tell me now!"

"It hurt." Bracewell replied. "It hurts, Doctor, so badly. Like a wound." The second section turned red and the third was now yellow. "It was worse than a wound. Like I'd been emptied out. There was nothing."

"Good." The Doctor told him. "Remember it now, Edwin! The ash trees by the Post Office and your mum and dad and losing them and men in the trenches you saw die…Remember it! Feel it, because your human." The third section turned red. "You're not like them. You are not like the Daleks!"

"It hurts!" Bracewell said. "Doctor, it hurts so much!"

"Good!" the Doctor said. "Good! Good! Brilliant! Embrace it." The fourth section turned red. "That means you're alive! They cannot explode that bomb, you're a human being! You are flesh and blood! They cannot explode that bomb! Believe it! You are Professor Edwin Bracewell! And you, my friend, are a human being!" the fifth section turned red. "It's not working, I can't stop it!"

"Hey…Paisley." Amy said, kneeling next to Bracewell. "Ever fancied someone you know you shouldn't?"

"W..what?" Bracewell asked.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Amy asked, the last section remaining yellow. "But kind of a good hurt."

"I really shouldn't talk about her." Bracewell said.

"Oh, there's a her." Amy said and the last section reverted to blue.

"What was her name?" the Doctor asked.

"Dorabella." Bracewell replied.

"Dorabella?" the Doctor laughed and Amy glared at him. "It's a lovely name, it's a beautiful name."

"What was she like, Edwin?" Amy asked.

"Oh…such a smile." Bracewell said dreamily. "And her eyes…her eyes were so blue…almost violet. Like the last touch of sunset on the edge of the world…Dorabella…."

All the sections reverted to blue.

"Welcome to the human race." The Doctor told the man, smiling. He turned to Churchill. "You're brilliant," he turned to Bracewell, "you're brilliant…" he turned to Amy, "And you…" he kissed her on the head and stood up. "Now, gotta stop them! Stop the Daleks!"

He moved towards the door

"Wait!" Bracewell called, stopping him as he sat up. "Doctor! Wait…Wait. It's too late. Gone. They've gone."

"No, no, no!" the Doctor yelled. "They can't! They can't have got away from me again!"

"No, I can feel it, my mind is clear." Bracewell told him. "The Daleks have gone."

The Doctor leaned against a pole, defeated.

"Doctor." Amy said. "It's okay! You did it. You stopped the bomb. Doctor?"

"I had a choice." The Doctor said. "And they knew I'd choose the Earth. The Daleks have won. They beat me. They've won."

"But you saved to Earth." Amy pointed out. "Not too shabby, is it…?"

The Doctor looked around at Churchill and all the others who looked back at him in support.

"Is it?" Amy pressed.

"No." the Doctor replied, smiling slowly. "It's not too shabby."

"It's a brilliant achievement, my dear friend." Churchill told him. "Here, have a cigar!"

The Doctor waved it off.

"No…" he said softly.

* * *

"So, what now, then?" Amy asked Churchill as they stood in the War Room.

"I still have a war to run, Miss Pond." He replied.

"Prime Minister." A woman said, handing Churchill a communiqué.

"Oh, thank you." He said, reading it. "They hit the Palace and St. Paul's again. Fire crews only just saved it."

Breen entered, crying.

"Is she okay?" Amy asked.

"What?" Churchill asked.

"She looks very upset." Amy said, nodding to the woman.

"Oh, Miss Breen?" Churchill said. "Her young man didn't make it, I'm afraid. Just got word. Shot down over the Channel."

"Where's the Doctor?" Amy asked after a moment.

"Tying up loose ends." The Doctor said, walking in. "I've taken out all the alien tech Bracewell put in."

"Won't you reconsider, Doctor?" Churchill asked. "Those Spitfires would win me the war in 24 hours!"

"Exactly." The Doctor said, sipping from a cup of tea.

"But why not?" Churchill demanded. "Why can't we put an end to all this misery?"

"Oh, it doesn't work like that, Winston." He told the man. "It's gonna be tough. There are terrible days to come. The darkest days. But you can do it. You know you can."

"Stay with us, and help us win through!" Churchill urged. "The world needs you."

"The world doesn't need me." The Doctor replied.

"No?" Churchill asked.

"The world's got Winston Spencer Churchill." The Doctor said, making the Victory sign. "If you could do me a favor though."

"Anything." Churchill replied.

The Doctor pulled a letter out of his pocket.

"In 2010 there's going to be a head of Torchwood 3 named the Phoenix." He told the stunned man. "Yes, I know about Torchwood. The point is, if you could make sure she gets this, I would appreciate it."

"Of course." Churchill said, taking the letter.

"Only she can open it, Winston." The Doctor warned him.

"I would never!" Churchill protested.

The Doctor just shook his head.

"It's been a pleasure, as always." Churchill said.

"Too right." The Doctor agreed as the two men hugged.

"Goodbye, Doctor." The Prime Minister said.

"Oh, shall we say adieu?" the Doctor replied.

"Indeed." Churchill agreed. "Goodbye, Miss Pond."

"It's…It's been amazing." Amy told him. "Meeting you."

"I'm sure it has!" Churchill said.

Amy kissed his cheek and he headed for the door.

"Oi, Churchill!" Amy called, holding out her hand. "TARDIS key. The one you just took from the Doctor."

The Doctor choked on his tea and quickly set it down to pat his pocket.

"Oh, she's good, Doctor." Churchill said, handing the key back. "As sharp as a pin! Almost as sharp as me!" He lit his cigar. "KBO!"

He left and the Doctor held out his hand. Amy sighed and reluctantly handed the key back.

* * *

The Doctor and Amy entered Bracewell's lab to find him waiting for them.

"I've been expecting you, Doctor." He said. "I knew this moment had to come."

"Moment?" the Doctor asked.

"It's time to de-activate me." Bracewell said sadly.

"Is it…?" The Doctor asked as Amy looked at him. "Oh…yeah."

"You have no choice." Bracewell said. "I'm Dalek technology. Can't allow me to go pottering around down here where I have no business."

"No, you're dead right, Professor." The Doctor agreed. "100% right. And by the time I get back here in…what, ten minutes?"

"More like 15." Amy said.

"Fifteen minutes, yeah, that's exactly what I'm going to do." The Doctor continued. "You are going to be so de-activated. It's going be like you've never even been…activated."

"Yeah." Amy agreed.

"15 minutes?" Bracewell asked.

"More like 20, if I'm honest." The Doctor said. "Once Pond and I see to the urgent thing…"

"Yes!" Amy said.

"…we've got see to." The Doctor said. "The…the…see?"

"Very well, Doctor." Bracewell said. "I shall wait here and prepare myself."

"That Dalek tech's a little bit slow on the uptake." Amy whispered to the Doctor before talking in her normal voice. "That thing we've got to do. Gonna take half an hour, realistically, isn't it, Doctor?"

"Easily!" the Doctor agreed. "So no running off, that's what I'm saying. Don't go trying to find that little Post Office with the ash trees or that girl…What was her name?"

"Dorabella." Bracewell said.

"Dorabella." The Doctor repeated. "On no account go looking for her. Mind you, you can get a lot done in half an hour."

Bracewell smiled and laughed.

"Thank you, thank you, Doctor!" he said.

"Come along, Pond!" the Doctor said.

As they left, Bracewell began packing a suitcase.

* * *

The Doctor and Amy headed for the TARDIS.

"So, you have enemies then?" she asked.

"Everyone's got enemies." He replied.

"Yeah, but mine's the woman outside Budgens with the mental Jack Russell." Amy said. "You've got, like, you know, arch-enemies."

They both leaned against the TARDIS.

"Suppose so." The Doctor replied.

"And here's me thinking we'd just be running through time, being daft and fixing stuff." Amy said. "but no, it's dangerous."

"Yup." The Doctor replied. "Very. Is that a problem?"

"I'm still here, aren't I?" she shot back. "You're worried about the Daleks."

"I'm always worried about the Daleks." He said.

"It'll take time, though, won't it?" Amy asked. "There's still not many of them. They'll need a while to build themselves up."

"It's not that." The Doctor told her. "There's something else. Something we've forgotten. Or rather you have."

"Me?" Amy asked.

"You didn't know them, Amy." The Doctor told her. "You'd never seen them before. And you should have done. You should. That's why I had Winston send the warning to the Phoenix."

"The Phoenix." Amy said. "Who is she? Really?"

"She's…the Phoenix." The Doctor said, looking away.

"Yeah, but who is she to you?" Amy pushed. "You said she was your mate. What does that mean?"

The Doctor just turned and walked into the TARDIS, leaving a confused Amy to follow. The TARDIS dematerialized, leaving only a crack on the wall behind. A crack with light spilling out of it.

A/N: Let me know what you thought.

Abbey


	23. Torchwood March: Letters

Disclaimer: I hate you all.

Ch. 23:

The party was winding down and the only ones left were Donna, Shawn, Martha, Mickey, Jenny, and Lily.

Donna and Shawn made their way over to the table where the others were sitting and sat down.

"Don't you two have a honeymoon to get to?" Lily asked.

"We're leaving in the morning." Donna told her. "What are you going to do about the crack?"

"I don't know." Lily said. "It's the second one to appear that we know of, and I'm sure it's not the last. Without a sonic device, I don't even know where to begin to try to close it."

"Can't you build a sonic device?" Martha asked.

"Maybe." Lily said. "But it would take time. And I can't even close this place because my authority doesn't extend to London." She sighed. "I'm going to have to call UNIT. I'm never going to live this down."

"Oh, speaking of…" Donna said. "You forgot about this."

She handed Lily the letter she had gotten before. Lily turned it over in her hands and tried to open it. It wouldn't budge.

"This has been sealed by a sonic device." She murmured.

She touched her finger to the letter and a gold light surrounded the letter, breaking the seal.

"It says it's been passed down through the Prime Ministers since Churchill." She said, pulling out the first paper.

She pulled out the second paper and read it aloud.

"Phoenix-Humans don't remember the Daleks. Something is affecting the timelines. Keep yourself safe.-The Doctor. P.S.-Don't count me out yet. Just give me time. I love you."

Lily stared at the paper as the others stared at her. Finally, she looked up at Shawn.

"Do you remember the Daleks?" she demanded.

"The what?" he asked.

Donna stared at her husband as Lily whipped out her phone.

"Hey, Lily, how's the wedding?" Gwen answered.

"Why did I regenerate?" Lily demanded.

"What?" Gwen asked, confused.

"Why did I regenerate?" Lily repeated.

"You got sick." Gwen answered. "Your power damaged your body and you were forced to regenerate. Lily what's going –"

Lily hung up and looked at the others.

"Lily what's going on?" Martha asked. "Why don't Shawn and Gwen remember the Daleks?"

"Because something erased them from history." Lily said softly. "They never attacked the Earth."

"Then why do I remember them?" Donna demanded. "I remember it all."

"You're a time traveler." Lily replied. "Traveling with the Doctor and me doesn't just change you mentally, it changes you physically. By nature, you're slightly removed from time. By traveling with us, you become more like us."

"And that protects us from what's happening?" Mickey asked.

"To an extent." Lily said. "If whatever is happening effected something directly related to you, it would affect you and nothing could stop it."

"So what do we do?" Jenny asked.

"There's nothing we can do." Lily said softly.

The six people sat in silence, contemplating that.

* * *

The next morning found Donna and Shawn in the Caribbean and the rest back in Cardiff.

"I'm confused." Gwen said, now very pregnant as she came closer to her due date. "How can there have been an attack on Earth that I don't remember?"

"It's complicated and I'm not sure of all the details myself." Lily told her. "Just trust me, it happened."

"Well what else don't I remember?" Gwen demanded.

"I really don't know." Lily told her. "I have no way of judging the damage to the time line."

"Well that's just fantastic." Gwen grumbled.

"Can someone tell me who the Daleks are?" Jenny asked.

"They're your father's greatest enemy." Lily told her. "He's fought them many times over the centuries. They were the race the Time Lords were fighting during the Time War. Some of them managed to escape and they continue to make your father and my lives hell. Last time we met them, they took the Earth and tried to destroy reality. I thought I destroyed them all, but your father's note implies that some of them are still out there. Whether they escaped mine or Rose's massacre is still unknown."

"Are they likely to attack again?" Jenny asked.

"I don't know, but I doubt it." Lily replied. "Something's happening and it's bigger than the Daleks. I just can't see it."

"So what do we do?" Jenny asked.

Lily sighed.

"We keep fighting." She replied. "We protect this world."

* * *

Two weeks later, Donna and Shawn returned and Donna found Lily standing outside, watching Jenny stand by the bay.

"She's growing more restless." Lily said. "I had hoped that Torchwood would keep her distracted, but she's her father's daughter." She sighed. "She's been fixing the manipulator when she thinks I'm not watching."

"Is she going to leave?" Donna asked.

"Probably." Lily said. "She's trying to make herself stay and I can't bring myself to let her go."

"She's your daughter." Donna said. "You want to protect her, that's understandable."

Lily leaned her head on her friend's shoulder.

"The only problem is I can't." she said softly.

* * *

Lily slept for the first time in months and woke up the next day to find a piece of paper on her table and Jenny gone.

_Mum-_

_I'm sorry to do this like this, and not just because I know he left like this, but I know that if I tell you to your face, you'll just stop me. And as much as I love you, I can't stay. I can't stay and you can't leave. Not when you still have hope he'll come back. I know you say he's not, but I see the way you watch the sky, and I know you believe he will, even if you won't admit it._

_For what it's worth, I believe he will come back too. If I know one thing about my father, it's that he loves you more than life itself. _

_Last time I ran, I had no home to miss or to miss me. This time, I do. You. I love you, mum, and I am so glad we had the chance to find each other again. And just because I'm leaving Earth, it doesn't mean I'm leaving you. I promise I'll keep in touch._

_Please, though, do me a favor. I wrote a letter to Dad and left it with this one. Please give it to him __when__ he comes back._

_I love you mum, and I hope you can forgive me for leaving._

_Please give my love to the others._

_Your Daughter-_

_Jenny_

Lily picked up the other letter addressed to the Doctor, but she didn't open it. What was it with this family and letters?

She chuckled to herself sadly.

She set the letter down and began to get ready for her day.

A/N: I know, I know! Please don't kill me! But, I mean, think about it. Jenny is technically a form of the Doctor, and how well does he do sitting around? At least this way she can come back! And any hate mail can be directed to my agent.

Abbey


	24. What Connects Us

Disclaimer: Make me say it again and I blow up your home. Just saying.

Ch. 24:

"So, where to next?" Amy asked as she yawned.

"Next, you go to bed." The Doctor told her.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, yawning again. "I'm not tired."

"And if you could say that without your eyelids closing, I'd be more impressed." He told her, chucking. "Come on."

He led her out of the control room and down a maze of corridors until they came to one with a rose colored door, a purple door, and a bright red door. He led her to the red door and opened it.

"Here you go." He said. "Yours for as long as you're here."

Amy looked around the large room and immediately zeroed in on the large, very comfortable looking bed.

"Just go to sleep." The Doctor told her, chuckling as he shut the door.

Amy did as he said and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

The Doctor smiled as he walked down the corridor, but he stopped when he passed a black door. He stopped and looked at it and took a deep breath before putting his hand on the door handle and opening it.

He hadn't been in the room since he had regenerated, but the TARDIS had returned everything to the way it had been. The way she had kept it.

_I didn't change anything._ The TARDIS told him._ When you finally come to your senses and go back to get her, I'm sure she'd like everything to be as it was. Well as much as can be._

_I'm afraid._ He told his ship. _ When I left, I thought I was keeping her safe, but now I just don't know how to go back. I've always ran. I've never gone back. I'm not sure I know how to do._

_You're not the only one who misses her. _ The ship pointed out. _ She's a part of me. How would you like it if I removed your arm and kept it from you?_

_I know._ He sighed. _I will go back. _

_Soon, Theta._ The TARDIS told him. _Time is running out._

_What do you mean? _The Doctor asked. _You're a time machine. How can time be running out?_

The TARDIS didn't replied.

He sighed and sat down on the bed. On the table next to it was her old TARDIS key, the one from her original universe. He picked it up and held it for a moment before slipping it into his pocket. A minute later he got up and closed the room off again. He needed to sleep, but he knew he couldn't sleep there. He made his way to the library and laid down on one of the couches and instructed the TARDIS to wake him up when Amy got up.

* * *

Amy woke up and took a moment to remember where she was before getting up.

She made her way to the door and decided to do some exploring. She walked down the corridor, trying doors as she went. The rose and purple doors both revealed bedrooms similar to the one the Doctor had given her. She tried a black door, but it wouldn't open. She turned down another corridor and found a garden, the swimming pool the Doctor had mentioned, a sauna, a laundry room, and something that looked like a lab.

She was about to open a door with a music note on it, when it disappeared and another corridor appeared. She heard music and followed it.

She wound up outside the control room and saw the Doctor working on the console, listening to a song.

"_I've taken too much, given up/ I am twisted, burning, breaking up/ I need to find a way of letting it go/ When everything falls apart/ I could try, but I'd never take it/ Yell and I will never be heard/ You will be my phoenix burn/ I could run, but I'd never reach it/ Leave and I might never return/ You will be my phoenix burn/ Let me burn..."_

The Doctor reached over and pressed a button, turning off the music.

"You ready to go Pond?" he called.

"How did you know I was there?" she asked, walking in.

"The TARDIS told me." He replied.

She let that go.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"How 'bout an alien planet?" he asked, moving around the console.

"Really?" she asked, smiling.

He grinned.

"One alien planet, coming right up." He said, pulling a lever.

* * *

Lily had taken to wandering around Cardiff ever since Jenny had left. If she was truthful with herself, she was just as restless as her daughter, but Jenny was right. As long as there was the slightest chance that the Doctor might come back, she couldn't bring herself to leave.

She walked down a row of shops and suddenly backtracked to a store she had passed. She quickly walked in and felt at home. All around her were musical instruments and music of all kinds.

"Can I help you with anything?" the clerk asked.

"Can I try one of these guitars?" Lily asked, pointing.

"Sure." The guy replied.

Lily smiled and took one of the acoustic six strings down. The weight felt familiar and she strummed a few chords and quickly adjusted the tuning. When it was just how she liked it, she began to play a familiar song.

"_I need a love that will release me__  
keep me honest, keep me happy__  
I need a peace with understanding  
Trying to find a softer landing_

_I need to know when I can change this  
__Or give it up and just embrace it  
__I need to find a way of letting it go  
When everything falls apart_

_I've taken too much, given up  
I am twisted, burning_, _breaking up__  
I need to find a way of letting it go  
When everything falls apart_

_I could try, but I'd never take it__  
Yell and I will never be heard__  
You will be my phoenix burn__  
I could run, but I'd never reach it  
Leave but I might never return_

_You will be my phoenix burn…"_

"You should by it." A familiar voice said.

Lily looked up to see Martha standing by the counter.

"I don't know." Lily said, looking at the guitar in her hands.

"You're going to need it." Martha said, smiling. "Gwen just went into labor, and the kid's going to need someone to sing to him, and God forbid Gwen do it. The poor child would be traumatized for life."

Lily laughed.

"I guess I'm buying a guitar." She told the clerk.

After she had paid, Lily turned back to Martha.

"Let's go meet the newest member of Torchwood." She said.

The two women quickly left.

A/N: Just a little interlude. Let me know what you think. We're getting closer to the reunion, so everyone just hold on a little longer.  
Also I would like to point out that every time I typed yawn, I yawned. That is so weird.

Abbey


	25. Time of the Angels: Old Somethings

Disclaimer: …why me?

Ch.25:

The Doctor strode through a museum, pointing at displays as Amy followed.

"Wrong!" he said. "Wrong! Bit right, mostly wrong. I love museums."

"Yeah, great." Amy replied. "Can we go to a planet now? Big space ship, Churchill's bunker…? You promised me a planet next."

"Amy, this isn't any old asteroid." The Doctor told her. "It's the Delerium Archive, final resting place of the headless monks, the biggest museum ever."

"You've got a time machine, what do you need museums for?" she asked.

"Wrong!" he exclaimed. "Very wrong! One of the Phoenix's. That was not a fun trip. They thought she was a goddess and I had kidnapped her. I spent five days in a dungeon. Oooh, one of mine. Also one of mine."

He peered into a display case.

"Oh, I see." Amy said. "It's how you keep score."

Something in the next display caught the Doctor's eye and he went to investigate it. Inside was an old box with strange symbols burned into the top.

"Oh great, an old box." Amy muttered.

"It's from of the old starliners." The Doctor told her. "A Home Box."

"What's a Home Box?" she asked.

"Like a black box on a plane, except it homes." The Doctor explained. "Anything happens to the ship, the Home Box flies home, with all the flight data."

"So?" she asked.

"The writing, the graffiti-Old High Gallifreyan." He said. "The lost language of the Time Lords. There were days, there were many days, these words could burn stars and raise up empires, and topple Gods. Also used to yell at your mate in the Phoenix's case."

"What does it say?" Amy asked.

The Doctor hesitated, as if he didn't really want to translate it.

"Hello, sweetie." He finally said grudgingly.

Before Amy could do anything, The Doctor smashed the glass and grabbed the box and they ran as alarms went off and two guards chased them. They jumped into the TARDIS and the Doctor quickly took them away.

He hooked the Home Box up to the console.

"Why are we doing this?" Amy demanded.

"'Cause someone on a space ship 12,000 years ago is trying to attract my attention." The Doctor said. "Let's see if we can get the security playback working."

Grainy black and white footage of a woman winking at a camera started. It switched to the woman with her back to the camera, facing a door.

"The party's over, Doctor Song…." A man said, "…yet still you're on board."

Doctor River Song turned to face him.

"Sorry, Alistair." She said. "I needed to see what was in your vault. Do you all know what's down there? Any of you? Because I'll tell you something. This ship won't reach its destination."

"Wait till she runs." Alistair told the guards with him. "Don't make it look like an execution."

"Triple-seven, five…" River said, looking at her watch, "…slash, three, four, nine by ten.

The Doctor and Amy exchanged a look.

"Zero," River continued, "twelve slash acorn." She looked at the camera. "Oh, and I could do with an air corridor."

The Doctor quickly began to type on the keyboard.

"What was that?" Amy asked. "What did she say?"

"Coordinates!" the Doctor replied.

"Like I said on the dance floor," River told the man, "you might want to find something to hang on to!"

A timer began to beep frantically and Alistair realized what was about to happen and grabbed a pipe. The guards did the same as River blew them a kiss and the door behind her blew open. She was carried into open space and the TARDIS materialized behind her. The door opened and the Doctor reached out and grabbed the woman, both of them landing on the floor with a grunt.

"Doctor?" Amy demanded.

"River?" The Doctor asked.

They both stood and watched the ship fly away.

"Follow that ship." River ordered.

She and the Doctor ran to the console, River taking of her heels as she went, and began to fly the TARDIS after the ship as Amy watched.

"They've gone into warp drive," River said. "We're losing them! Stay close!"

"I'm trying!" the Doctor replied.

"Use the stabilizers." River told him.

"There aren't any stabilizers!" the Doctor shot back.

"The blue switches!" she shouted.

"The blue ones don't do anything." He told her. "They're just…blue."

"Yes, they're blue." She shot back. "They're the blue stabilizers!" She flipped them and the ship became quiet. "See?"

"Yeah, well, it's boring now, isn't it?" he said. "You and Lily, always on about stabilizers. "They're boring-ers. They're blue boring-ers."

"Doctor, how come she can fly the TARDIS?" Amy demanded.

"You call that flying the TARDIS?" The Doctor asked, sitting in the jump seat to sulk. "Ha!"

"Okay." River said, ignoring them. "I've mapped the probability vectors, done a fold back on the temporal isometry, charted the ship to its destination, and parked us right alongside."

"Parked us?" the Doctor demanded. "We haven't landed."

"Of course we've landed." She told him. "I just landed her."

"But it didn't make the noise." The Doctor protested.

"What noise?" she asked.

"You know, the…" he said, making a horrible noise.

"It's not supposed to make that noise." River told him. "You leave the brakes on."

"Yeah, well, it's a brilliant noise." The Doctor sulked. "I love that noise. Come along, Pond, let's have a look."

"No, wait!" River called. "Environment checks."

"Oh, yes, sorry!" the Doctor said. "Quite right. Environment checks." He stuck his head out the door. "Nice out."

"We're somewhere in the Garn Belt." River told him. "There's an atmosphere. Early indication suggest…"

"We're on Alfava Metrazis, the seventh planet of the Dundra System." The Doctor interrupted. "Oxygen-rich atmosphere, toxins in the soft band, 11-hour day, and…" he put his head out the door again. "Chances of rain later."

"He thinks he's so hot when he does that." River told Amy.

The Doctor rejoined them at the console.

"How come you can fly the TARDIS?" Amy asked.

"Oh, I had lessons from the very best." River told her.

"Well, yeah." The Doctor said smugly.

"Yeah, The Phoenix always said it was a shame you were busy that day." River said, deflating him quickly. "She said she could've used a bad example. Speaking of, where is your annoying mate? I thought she'd be out here, bitching at me for putting you in danger again."

"She's not here." the Doctor told her.

"What did she lock herself in the music room again?" River asked, smiling.

"She's on Earth." The Doctor sighed.

"What?" River screeched.

The Doctor rubbed his ear.

"What's it to you?" he asked. "You called me, why does it matter if she's here? Last time you two met, she almost killed you. Twice."

"She's always trying to kill me." River said, brushing it off. "It's basically how we say hello. But when I call one of you, I expect to get both. Why is she on Earth?"

"Because I left her there." The Doctor growled. "To keep her safe."

"More like keep yourself safe." River scoffed. "Well, this screws up my whole plan, thank you very much."

"How would Lily not being here affect your plan?" the Doctor demanded.

"I was planning on having her vortex powers on my side." River sighed. "And when you see what we're up against, you're going to wish she was here too. Now where did they land?"

She headed towards the door.

"They didn't land." The Doctor replied.

"Sorry?" River asked.

"You should've checked the Home Box." The Doctor told her. "It crashed."

River walked out and the Doctor closed the doors behind her before heading back to the console.

"Explain." Amy ordered. "Who is that, how did she do that museum thing, and how does she know the Phoenix?"

"It's a long story, and I don't know most of it." The Doctor told her. "Off we go!"

"What are you doing?" Amy demanded.

"Leaving." The Doctor replied. "She's got where she wants to go, let's go where we want to go."

"Are you basically running away?" she asked.

"Yep." He replied.

"Why?" she asked.

"'Cause she's the future." He said. "My future, the Phoenix's future."

"Can you run away from that?" she wanted to know.

"I can run away from anything I like." The Doctor said. "Time is not the boss of me."

"Hang on, is that a planet out there?" Amy asked.

"Yes, of course it's a planet." The Doctor replied.

"You promised me a planet." Amy told him. "Five minutes?"

"Okay." The Doctor gave in. "Five minutes!"

"Yes!" Amy said, heading for the door.

"But that's all, 'cause I'm tell you now," the Doctor told her, "that woman is not dragging me into anything!"

He followed her out.

The ship they followed was outside, crashed into a large, old temple. It was burning and bits of debris were all around it. The Doctor and Amy joined River, staring up at it.

"What caused it to crash?" River asked. "Not me."

"Nah, the airlock would've sealed seconds after you blew it." The Doctor agreed. "According to the Home Box, the warp engines had a phase-shift. No survivors."

"A phase-shift would have to be sabotage." River said. "I did warn them."

"About what?" the Doctor asked.

"Well, at least the building was empty." River said, ignoring the question. "Aplan temple. Unoccupied for centuries."

She began to key something into a handheld device and the Doctor walked back to Amy.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" she asked him.

"Amy Pond, Professor River Song." The Doctor said.

"Ahh, I'm going to a Professor some day, am I?" River asked, making the Doctor wince. "How exciting! Spoilers!"

She returned to what she was doing.

"Yeah, but who is she and how did she do that?" Amy demanded in a whisper. "She just left you a note in a museum! And how does she know the Phoenix? Who is the Phoenix?"

The Doctor walked away without answering.

"Two things always guaranteed to show up in a museum:" River told her. "The Home Box of a category four starliner and, sooner or later, him. It's how he keeps score."

"I know." Amy said, laughing.

"It's hilarious, isn't it?" River asked.

The Doctor came up behind them with a sarcastic laugh.

"I'm nobody's taxi service!" he told them. "I'm not gonna be there to catch you every time you feel like jumping out of a space ship."

"Like the Phoenix would let you let me die." River laughed. "She wants to be there when it happens to make sure I can't come back. And you are so wrong. There's one survivor. There's a think in the belly of that ship that can't ever die." The Doctor started to pay attention making her laugh. "Now he's listening!"

She walked away, talking into the device in her hand.

"You lot in orbit yet?" she asked. "Yeah, I saw it land. I'm at the crash site. Try and home in on my signal." She held the device up. "Doctor, can you sonic me? I need to boost the signal so we can use it as a beacon."

The Doctor took out the sonic screwdriver and grudgingly did as she asked. She dropped a small curtsey.

"Ooh, Doctor!" Amy mocked. "You soniced her!"

"We have a minute." River called. "Shall we?" She pulled out her diary. "Where were we up to? Have we done the Bone Meadows?"

"What's the book?" Amy asked.

"Stay away from it." The Doctor ordered.

"What is it though?" Amy asked.

"Her diary." He replied.

"Our diary." River corrected.

"Her past, my…future." The Doctor said. "Time travel. We keep meeting in the wrong order."

Four columns of swirling dust appeared and turned into four soldiers in desert camouflage uniforms. One approached River.

"You promised me an army, Doctor Song." He told her.

"No, I promised you the equivalent of an army." She replied. "I didn't get quite what I was hoping, but it'll do. This is the Doctor."

He gave the soldier a lighthearted salute.

"Father Octavian, sir." The man introduced himself, shaking the Doctor's hand. "Bishop, second class. 20 clerics at my command. The troops are already in the drop ship and landing shortly. Doctor Song was helping us with a covert investigation. Has Doctor Song explained what we're dealing with?"

"Doctor, what do you know of the Weeping Angels?" she asked him.

A/N: And that's the beginning of Time of the Angels. Let me know what you think. I've decided to take the approach that River and Lily don't particularly like each other, but they have a sort of grudging respect for each other.

Abbey


	26. Time of the Angels: An Image of an Angel

Disclaimer: You're just out to break my heart, aren't you?

A/N: Okay, so here's my deal, peeps. I'm going to move Lily's chapters to every two of the Doctor's for two reasons. One because the separation is even killing me, and doing two chapters of the Doctor to one chapter of Lily will make it go faster, and two because I have officially run out of ideas for Lily's part. I'm not that creative, so sue me.

On with the story.

Ch. 26:

A transport ship had arrived and unloaded clerics, who had quickly set up camp. The Doctor and Amy followed Octavian as he explained the situation.

"The Angel, as far as we know, is still trapped in the ship." He told them. "Our mission is to get inside and neutralize it. We can't get through up top, we'd be too close to the drives. According to this," he held up a device, "behind the cliff face, there's a network of catacombs leading right up to the temple. We can blow through the base of the cliffs, get into the entrance chamber, then make our way up."

"Oh, good." The Doctor said.

"Good, sir?" Octavian asked.

"Catacombs, probably dark ones." The Doctor told him. "Dark catacombs, great."

"Technically, I think it's called a maze of the dead." Octavian replied.

"You can stop anytime you like." The Doctor said.

"Father Octavian?" a soldier called.

"Excuse me, sir." Octavian said.

The Doctor waved him off and then began scanning some of the equipment on a table with his screwdriver.

"You're letting people call you 'sir'." Amy pointed out as she sat on the table. "You never do that. So, whatever a Weeping Angel is, it's really bad, yeah?"

"Now that's interesting…" the Doctor said before turning to her. "You're still here. Which part of 'Wait in the TARDIS 'till I tell you it's safe' was so confusing?"

"Ooh, are you all Mr. Grumpy Face today?" Amy asked.

"A Weeping Angel, Amy, is the deadliest, most powerful, most malevolent form evolution has ever produced." The Doctor told her. "And one is trapped inside that wreckage, and I'm supposed to climb in with a screwdriver and a torch-and assuming I survive the radiation, and the whole ship doesn't blow up in my face-do something clever which I haven't actually thought of yet. That's my day, that's what I'm up to. Any questions?"

"Is River Song your wife?" Amy asked. "'Cause she's someone from your future, and the way she talks to you, I've never seen anyone do that. She's kinda like, you know, 'Heel, boy!'. She's Mrs. Doctor from the future, isn't she? Is she gonna be your wife one day?"

"Yes." The Doctor said. "You're right. I am definitely Mr. Grumpy Face today."

"Doctor?" River called. "Doctor!"

"Oops!" Amy laughed. "Hurry indoors!"

"Father Octavian!" River called.

They all walked towards the transport where River was standing.

"Why do they call him Father?" Amy asked.

"He's their Bishop, they're his clerics." The Doctor replied. "It's the 51 Century, the Church has moved on."

They walked into the transport to find a video of the Angel playing. It was turned away from them, it's hand's covering its face.

"What do you think?" River asked the Doctor. "It's from the security cameras in the _Byzantium_ vault. I ripped it when I was on board. Sorry about the quality. It's four seconds. I've put it on loop."

"Yeah, it's an Angel." The Doctor replied. "Hands covering its face."

"You've encountered the Angels before?" Octavian asked.

"Once, on Earth, a long time ago." The Doctor said. "But those were scavengers, barely surviving. Plus I had The Phoenix on my side. She's probably the only being that could go toe to toe with these things and survive."

"It's just a statue." Amy said.

"It's a statue when you see it." River replied. "And I told you you were going to regret not having her."

"Yeah, well if I die, it's you she'll be coming after." The Doctor said.

"What makes you think I'll survive if you die?" River asked.

"Doesn't matter." The Doctor told her. "She'll just find your body and bring you back so she can kill you herself."

"Good point." River said, wincing.

"Why do you act like she could really do that?" Amy asked.

"Because she can." River replied simply.

"Where did that Angel come from?" The Doctor asked, nodding to the video.

"Oh, pulled from the ruins of Razbahab, end of last century." River replied. "It's been in private hands ever since, dormant all that time."

"There's a difference between dormant and patient." The Doctor said.

"What's that mean, it's a statue when you see it?" Amy asked.

"The Weeping Angels can only move if they're unseen." River replied. "So legend has it."

"No, it's not legend, it's a quantum lock." The Doctor said. "In the sight of any living creature, the Angels literally cease to exist. They're just stone. The ultimate defense mechanism."

"What, being a stone?" Amy asked.

"Being a stone…" the Doctor replied, "until you turn your back."

He turned and led them out.

"The hyperdriver would've split on impact." He told them. "The whole ship will be flooded with radiation, cracked electrons, gravity storms, deadly to almost any living thing."

"Deadly to an Angel?" Octavian asked.

"Dinner to an Angel." The Doctor replied. "The longer we leave it, the stronger it will grow. Who built that temple? Are they still around?"

"The Aplans." River said, looking at her handheld. "The indigenous life-forms. They died out 400 years ago."

"200 years later, the planet was terraformed." Octavian added. "Currently there are six billion human colonists."

"You lot, you're everywhere!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Like rabbits! I'll never get done saving you."

"Sir, if there is a clear and present danger to the local population…" Octavian said.

"Oh, there is." The Doctor replied. "Bad as it gets. Bishop, lock and load!"

"Verger, how we doing with those explosives?" Octavian called. "Dr. Song, with me."

"Two minutes." She replied. "Sweetie, I need you."

The Doctor mouthed 'sweetie' before realizing that she meant him and went to join her. Amy stood in the entry of the transport.

"Anybody need me?" she asked. "Nobody?"

She just crossed her arms. She moved inside and studied the Angel on the screen. It had lowered its hands.

* * *

River handed the Doctor a book.

"I found this." She told him. "Definitive work on the Angels. Well, the only one. Written by a madman, it's barely readable, but I've marked a few passages."

The Doctor flipped through the book and finished it.

"Not bad, bit slow in the middle, didn't you hate his girlfriend?" he asked. "No, hang on, wait, wait!"

He sniffed the book.

"Dr. Song?" Amy called. "Did you have more than one clip of the Angel?"

"No, just the four seconds." River replied.

Amy went back inside.

"This book is wrong!" the Doctor exclaimed. "What's wrong with this book, it's wrong."

* * *

Amy looked at the video again, and the Angel was now facing forward, hands down at its side. Amy bent over and looked at the time code. It looped from 11:24 to 11:28, but the position of the Angel continued to change. Engrossed in the video, Amy didn't notice the door close and lock.

* * *

River watched the Doctor as he examined the book.

"Oh, it's so strange when you go all baby-face." She told him, picking up the diary. "How early is this for you?"

"Very early." He replied.

"Well it would have to be for you to leave the Phoenix behind." She said, opening the book.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean, that as the bond grows, you two become less able to bear separation." River told him, smiling. "I once had to deal with your mate when you were away. It was like dealing with a caged tiger. Albeit, a tiger willing and able to tear down the universe to get you back. For either of you to stomach being apart, it must be very early indeed."

"So I go back for her?" the Doctor asked nonchalantly.

River laughed.

"Of course you do!" she said. "That's not even a spoiler." She gently touched his face. "There is literally nothing I have ever seen that could keep you apart for long. Not even your stupidness, sweetie." She sighed. "So you don't know who I am yet, do you?"

"How do you know who I am?" he asked. "I don't always look the same."

"I've got pictures of all your faces and the Phoenix's." she told him. "You never show up in the right order though. I need the spotter's guide."

"Pictures?" the Doctor murmured. "Why aren't there pictures?"

* * *

Amy picked up the remote and tried to turn off the video, but it kept coming back on. She set the remote down and peered at the screen.

"You're just a recording." She told it. "You can't move."

She looked away and tried to unplug the screen and when she looked up, the Angel's face now filled the screen, and she quickly backed away.

"Doctor!" she called.

She tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. She looked back at the screen and the serene Angel was gone, replaced by its predatory face.

"Doctor!" she yelled.

* * *

"This whole book-it's a warning, about the Weeping Angels." The Doctor said. "So why no pictures? Why not show us what to look out for?"

"There was a bit about images." River said.

"Yes! Hang on…" the Doctor flipped through the book. "'That which holds the image of an angel becomes itself an angel."

* * *

Amy glanced back at the screen as she tried to open the door.

"Doctor!" she yelled.

* * *

"What does that mean?" River asked. "'An image of an Angel becomes itself an Angel'?"

* * *

Amy looked back to see that the Angel was beginning to manifest itself in the room.

"Doctor!" she yelled. "It's in the room!"

* * *

"Amy!" the Doctor shouted, running towards the transport.

* * *

"Doctor!" Amy yelled, punching the keypad.

"Are you alright?" the Doctor called from the other side of the door. "What's happening?"

"Doctor!" she shouted. "Doctor, it's coming out of the television. The Angel is here."

"Don't take your eyes off it!" the Doctor told her, taking out the screwdriver and using it on the keypad. "It can't move if you're looking. What's wrong? It's deadlocked."

"There is no deadlock." River told him, trying to override the controls. "The Phoenix would be really useful right now!"

"Yeah, yeah I know." The Doctor growled. "Don't blink, Amy! Don't even blink!"

"Doctor!" Amy shouted.

"What are you doing?" River demanded.

"Cutting the power." The Doctor replied. "It's using the screen, I'm turning the screen off." He sighed in frustration. "It's no good, it's deadlocked the whole system."

"There's no deadlock." River insisted.

"There is now!" he shot back.

"Help me!" Amy yelled.

"Amy!" the Doctor shouted. "Can you turn it off?"

"Doctor!" she yelled.

"The screen." He pushed. "Can you turn it off?"

"I tired." She told him.

"Try again," the Doctor told her, "but don't take your eyes off the Angel."

"I'm not!" she shouted.

The Doctor and River continued to try to override the controls.

"Each time it moves, it'll move faster." The Doctor shouted. "Don't even blink."

"I'm not blinking!" Amy yelled. "Have you ever tried not blinking?"

Amy blinked one eye, trying to keep at least one eye on the creature. She fumbled for the remote before finally finding it. She grabbed it and backed towards the door, trying to switch it off, but it just turned back on again.

"It just keeps switching back on!" she told him.

"Yeah, it's the Angel." The Doctor said.

"But it's just a recording." Amy protested.

"No, anything that takes the image of an Angel is an Angel." The Doctor told her before turning to River. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to cut through." She replied, holding up a blowtorch. "It's not even warm."

"There's no way in." the Doctor told her. "It's not physically possible, short of ripping the ship apart at the atomic level."

"Told you you'd want the Phoenix here." River said.

"Yes, I get it." The Doctor said crossly. "We all wish Lily was here, but she's not so we need another plan."

"Doctor!" Amy called. "What's it gonna do to me?"

"Just keep looking at it." He ordered. "Don't stop looking!"

"Just tell me." She shouted. "Just tell me. Tell me!"

The Doctor ran for the book and ran back to sit in front of the door.

"Amy, not the eyes." He said. "Look anywhere but don't look at the eyes."

"Why?" Amy asked, immediately looking at it's eyes.

"What is it?" River asked.

"'The eyes are not the windows of the soul, they are the door.'" The Doctor quoted. "'Beware what may enter there.'"

A/N: So I hope you guys aren't too disappointed in the change of format. Also Lily's chapters will be more like oneshots. Let me know what you thought.

Abbey


	27. Torchwood April: Our Children

Disclaimer: If I swear to give this up…oh please, like I could actually let it go.

Ch.27:

"He's adorable." Lily said, holding the newest member of Torchwood in her arms. "What name have you decided on?"

"Ianto." Gwen said, looking exhausted, but happy.

"Hello, Ianto." Lily said softly, her eyes bright. "Welcome to Earth. I know I'm not supposed to be bias, but I'll tell you a secret. It's my favorite planet of them all." She laughed as the boy gurgled. "I agree, it really is nice here. And you should know that the man who carried your name before you was a great man. You should be proud to carry his name."

She sighed and handed the baby back to his mother.

"You did good." Lily told her. "Rhys, you did good staying out of the way."

"I just did as I was told." The man said, laughing. "Gwen did all the hard work."

"Damn straight." Gwen said, making the others laugh. She hesitated a second before looking at Lily. "Would you mind checking him over?" she asked.

"I'm sure the medical staff here has made sure he's fine." Lily told her.

"Yeah, but with everything I've gone through…" Gwen trailed off.

"I monitored you through the whole pregnancy, Gwen." Lily told her. "None of your…experiences…seemed to have done any damage." Seeing Gwen wasn't going to back down, she sighed. "But I'll make sure he's fine."

"Thank you." Gwen said.

Lily just waved her away before taking the baby back and sitting down and closing her eyes.

Both Time Lord and baby began to glow a gentle gold. Finally, the light dissipated and Lily opened her eyes, smiling.

"Your son is perfectly healthy and has a bright future." Lily said, handing him back again. "He's going to be amazing."

Gwen smiled and reached out to take her husband's hand.

Lily smiled at them for a moment before leaving the family alone.

* * *

Martha found Lily down in the medical pit, staring at a hologram in front of her. It was a little baby, but as Martha watched, the child grew into a young girl and then to a young woman.

"Lily?" she called.

The image froze as it returned to the young girl.

"Time Lord genes are so hard to predict." Lily said, her eyes not moving from the image. "Our regenerations mean that our children could come from any combination of our DNA. That being said, I decided to take my first Doctor's values and add them to my old values."

"So that's…?" Martha trailed off, coming down to stand with her friend.

"Samantha." Lily said, nodding. "Or at least, an idea of what she might have looked like. She would've been beautiful."

"She would've." Martha agreed.

Lily sighed and shut the image off.

"I keep thinking that one day, the pain will get better, but it just doesn't seem to happen." She said. "It's just not fair that she didn't even get to have a life."

"I know." Martha said, wrapping her arm around Lily. "And, not that it would replace her, but you could always have another chance."

Lily shook her head.

"I checked after I regenerated." She told her. "Whatever the damage that was done, it stayed through the regeneration. I won't be able to have children. Not ever."

"I'm so sorry." Martha told her.

Lily shrugged.

"I'm used to the idea." She said. "But it just came to the forefront, seeing Gwen and Ianto."

"Well, just think of it this way." Martha told her. "We can spoil the boy rotten and then send him back to his parents."

Lily laughed.

"Sounds like a plan." She agreed.

The two women stood in silence for a moment.

"Wanna go shopping?" Lily asked.

* * *

Gwen and Rhys stared as Lily and Martha entered the hospital room, laden down with tons of bags.

"What is all that?" Gwen demanded.

"Martha and I have decided to be your son's fairy godmothers." Lily declared, setting down her bags. "Most of the stuff is sitting in my place, but this is everything we thought you might want to use during your stay here."

"There's more?" Rhys asked weakly.

"Oh yeah." Lily replied, grinning evilly. "We put a huge dent in Jack's accounts, but we figure he deserves it for missing the birth."

"We don't have a big enough apartment for all this." Gwen protested.

"Well some of it will stay with us." Martha said.

"Yeah, Ianto's going to need things to play with and sleep in when he comes to stay with his Aunt Martha and Aunt Lily." Lily said.

"You two are insane." Gwen stated.

"Probably." Lily agreed. "But we had fun. And we can reuse it all when Martha finally adds to the family."

"Hey!" Martha protested. "That's going be awhile."

"Sure it is." Lily brushed her off. "So, we brought clothes for mother and son. All of them perfectly chic, because Ianto would kill me if his namesake wasn't impeccably dressed."

Gwen shook her head.

"Oh, don't look like that." Lily told her. "You're going to love it all!"

"It's not that." Gwen said. "I just feel bad for anyone who tries to buy any baby related items in Cardiff!"

"Pffsh!" Lily disregarded. "Although, going back to your tiny apartment, if you guys want to get something bigger, just let me know. Jack has a little house in the suburbs that would be perfect."

"Isn't Jack going to be annoyed with you giving away his properties?" Rhys asked.

"If he was worried about it, he shouldn't have left them to me." Lily told him. "Besides, he doesn't use any of them, he doesn't even rent them. I'm sure he won't mind me giving one to you."

"This is insane." Gwen told her.

"But isn't it fun?" she shot back. "Now, first things first. Clothes…"

* * *

Lily opened the apartment and smiled at the bags everywhere. She was aware that she had gone overboard, but it had been so fun, she couldn't really bring herself to care.

She walked past her table before backtracking and looking at a package on it.

"I know I didn't buy you." She said.

She picked it up and smiled at the label on it.

_Mum-_

_You're out and I can only stay for a moment. Just a little thing I picked up and thought of you. _

_Love you-_

_Jenny_

Lily opened the package and found a beautiful set of stud earrings. They were little gold colored birds in flight. Very Phoenix like. Lily chuckled and put them in. They really were beautiful.

She may not have a baby, but she had a daughter, and that was good enough for her.

A/N: So, just a little thing with Gwen's baby. Let me know what you think. And when we find out what Gwen's baby's name actually is, I'll change it, but for now I like the idea of her naming her son after Ianto.

Abbey


	28. Time of the Angels: They're Not Statues

Disclaimer: I hate you all. Enough said.

Ch. 28:

"Doctor, what did you say?" Amy called.

"Don't look at the eyes!" the Doctor yelled.

"No, about images." Amy said. "What did you say about images?"

"Whatever holds the image of an angel, is an angel." River told her.

"Okay…" Amy said. "Hold this."

She held out the remote.

"One," she said, counting the seconds. "Two, three, four…"

She hit the pause button right as the loop reset itself. The Angel froze before turning off. The door opened and the Doctor and River ran inside, the Doctor running straight to the screen to unplug it.

"I froze it!" Amy told them. "There was a sort of blip on the tape and I froze it on the blip. It wasn't the image of an angel anymore. That was good, yeah? It was, wasn't it? That was pretty good."

"That was amazing!" River told her.

"River, hug Amy." The Doctor ordered.

"Why?" she asked.

"'Cause I'm busy and, as you've pointed out, the Phoenix isn't here." he shot back.

"I'm fine." Amy said.

"You're brilliant!" River replied.

"Thanks." Amy said. "Yeah. I kind of creamed it, didn't I?"

"So it was here?" River asked. "That was the Angel?"

"That was a projection of the Angel." The Doctor corrected. "It's reaching out, getting a good look at us. It's no longer dormant."

There was a loud explosion and the Doctor ran to the door.

"It's gone positive!" a soldier called.

"Doctor!" Octavian called. "We're through!"

"Okay." The Doctor said, looking back at the girls. "Now it starts."

He went outside as Amy rubbed her left eye.

"Coming?" River asked as she headed for the door.

"Yeah, coming." Amy replied. "There's just…something in my eye."

* * *

The Doctor climbed down a rope ladder and joined Octavian at the bottom. They both turned on their torches and looked around as Amy and River joined them.

"Do we have a gravity globe?" The Doctor asked.

"Grav globe." Octavian called and one of the soldiers handed it to him.

"Where are we?" Amy asked. "What is this?"

"It's an Aplan moratorium." River told her. "Sometimes called a maze of the dead."

"And what's that?" Amy asked.

"Well, if you happen to be a creature of living stone…" the Doctor said, kicking the gravity globe like a football and it rose into the air before bursting into light and revealing a large cavern filled with stone statues, "the perfect hiding place."

"I guess this makes it a bit trickier." Octavian said.

"A bit, yeah." The Doctor replied.

"A stone angel on the loose amongst stone statues." Octavian muttered. "A lot harder than I'd prayed for."

"A needle in a haystack." River said.

"A needle that looks like hay." The Doctor corrected. "A hay-like needle. Of death. A hay-like needle of death in a haystack of, er, statues. No, yours was fine."

"Right." Octavian said. "Check every single statue in this chamber. You know what you're looking for. Complete visual inspection. One question-how do we fight it?"

"We find it," the Doctor replied. "And hope."

He walked off and Amy followed. River went to follow them, but Octavian grabbed her arm.

"He doesn't know yet, does he?" he asked her softly. "Who and what you are."

"It's too early in his time stream." River replied, just as softly.

"Well, make sure he doesn't work it out," Octavian told her, "or he's not gonna help us."

"I won't let you down." River told him. "Believe you me, I have no intention of going back to prison."

"Sir?" a soldier called. "Side chamber. One visible exit."

"Check it out." Octavian ordered. "Angelo, go with him."

The two soldiers went to check it out.

* * *

The Doctor shined his torch in every direction as Amy followed. She stopped and looked at the many levels above them and all the statues lining the way. She rubbed the corner of her eye with one finger and pulled it away to find a little grit. She used her whole hand and sand and grit poured out of her eye. Panicking, she stopped and looked at her hand, but there was nothing there. River came up and stood next to her.

"You all right?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Amy replied. "So, what's a maze of the dead?"

"Oh, it's not as bad as it sounds." River told her. "It's just a labyrinth with the dead people buried in the walls. Okay, that was fairly bad. Right, give me your arm." She held up a syringe. "This won't hurt a bit."

She gave Amy the shot.

"Ow!" Amy yelped.

"There, you see." River said brightly. "I lied. It's a viro-stabilizer. Stabilizes your metabolism against radiation, drive burn, anything. You're going to need it when we get up to that ship."

"So what's he like?" Amy asked. "In the future, I mean. 'Cause you know him in the future, don't you?"

"The Doctor?" River replied. "Well, the Doctor's the Doctor."

"Oh, well that's very helpful." Amy replied sarcastically. "Mind if I write that down?"

"Yes, we are." River said.

"Sorry, what?" the Doctor asked, taking readings with River's device.

"Talking about you." River told him.

"I wasn't listening." He said snidely. "I'm busy."

"Ah." She replied. "The other way up."

The Doctor turned the device over and glanced at River, who merely raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah." He said.

"You're so his wife." Amy said.

"Oh, Amy, Amy, Amy!" River laughed. "This is the Doctor we're talking about. Do you really think it could be anything that simple? Beside the Phoenix tends to go on rampages when people claim I'm his wife."

"Who is she?" Amy demanded. "Everyone talks about her, but no one will tell me who she is!"

"He really hasn't told you?" River asked, confused.

"He just mentions her in passing and then goes on when I try to ask." Amy replied.

River walked over to the Doctor and grabbed his arm, spinning him around to face her.

"What do you think you're playing at?" she demanded.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He told her.

"Don't give me that." She shot back. "What happened?"

"Don't you know?" he asked.

"This is the earliest I've ever been in your time line." She told him. "What happened? What are you running from?"

The Doctor stared at her.

"I killed her brother." He said, seeming to answer despite himself. "Again. I killed the Master and I died. I left her even though I promised I never would. How could she possibly forgive me?"

"Oh, Doctor." River said softly. "You're a moron."

"Hey!" he protested.

"I'm sorry, but you are." River told him. "Even if she isn't here, you should've explained to Amy who she is. I bet you even said you were the last Time Lord."

"He's not the last Time Lord?" Amy demanded.

"I am!" the Doctor insisted. "She's a Time Lady, not Lord."

River reached up and smacked him.

"What was that for?" he demanded.

"The Phoenix isn't here to do it." River replied, shrugging.

"So is she his wife?" Amy asked.

"It's so much more complicated than that." River replied, glaring at the Doctor who was sulkily rubbing his head. "She's his mate."

"What does that mean?" Amy demanded.

"When you think mate, think soul mate." River replied.

"So who are you?" Amy asked.

"Spoilers." River smiled.

She walked away and after a moment, the Doctor and Amy followed. They studied the statues in silence for a little while before gun fire rang out and they quickly ran back to the main chamber.

They found a young cleric pointing his gun as one of the statues.

"Sorry." The man said. "Sorry, I thought…I thought it looked at me."

"We know what the Angel looks like." Octavian told him. "Is that the Angel?"

"No, sir." The cleric replied.

"No, sir, it is not!" Octavian told him. "According to the Doctor, we are facing an enemy of unknowable power and infinite evil. So it would be good, it would be very good, if we could all remain calm in the presence of décor."

"What's your name?" the Doctor asked the young man.

"Bob, sir." He replied.

"Ah, that's a great name." The Doctor said, smiling. "I love Bob."

"It's a Sacred Name." Octavian said. "We all have Sacred Names, they're given to us in the service of the Church."

"Sacred Bob." The Doctor said. "More like Scared Bob now, eh?"

"Yes, sir." Bob replied.

"Ah, good." The Doctor told him. "Scared keeps you fast. Anyone in this room who isn't scared is a moron. Carry on."

"We'll be moving into the maze in two minutes." Octavian said, turning to Bob. "You stay with Christian and Angelo. Guard the approach."

* * *

"Isn't there a chance this lot's just gonna collapse?" Amy asked as they made their way up. "There's a whole ship up there."

"Incredible builders, the Aplans." River told her.

"Had dinner with their chief architect once." The Doctor said. "Two heads are better than one."

"You mean you helped him?" Amy asked.

"No, I mean he had two heads." The Doctor replied. "That book, the very end, what did it say?"

"Hang on." River said as she got it out.

"Read it to me." The Doctor said.

"What if we had ideas that could think for themselves?" River read. "What if one day our dreams no longer needed us? When these things occur and are held to be true, the time will be upon us. The Time of Angels."

* * *

"Hey, Angelo." Bob called over his radio. "Christian? Where are you?"

There was no answer.

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Amy asked. "It's a hell of a climb."

"The maze is on six levels representing the ascent of the soul." River told her. "Only two levels to go."

"Lovely species, the Aplans." The Doctor said. "We should visit them some time."

"I thought they were all dead?" Amy asked.

"So's Virginia Woolf." The Doctor replied. "I'm on her bowling team. Very relaxed, sort of cheerful. That's having two heads. You're never short of a snog with an extra head."

"Doctor, there's something." River said, glancing around. "I don't know what it is…"

"Yeah, something wrong." He agreed. "Don't know what it is yet either, working on it. Then they started having laws against self-marrying and what was that about? But that's the church for you. Erm, no offence, Bishop."

"Quite a lot taken, if that's all right, Doctor." The man replied.

They entered a narrow passage lined with statues.

"Lowest point in the wreckage is only about 50 feet up from here." Octavian said. "That way."

"Church had a point, if you think about it." Amy said. "The divorces must have been messy."

The Doctor stopped and looked closely at a statue.

"Oh!" he said.

"What's wrong?" Amy asked.

"Oh." River said, staring at the Doctor.

"Exactly." He said.

"How could we not notice that?" she asked.

"Low level perception filter." He replied. "Or maybe we're thick. And if the words 'I bet you wish the Phoenix was here' come out of your mouth, I swear…"

"Perception filters don't work on her very well." River pointed out.

"What's wrong, sir?" Octavian asked.

"Nobody move." The Doctor ordered. "Everyone stay exactly where they are. Bishop, I am truly sorry. I've made a mistake and we are all in danger."

"What danger?" the Bishop demanded.

"The Aplans." River told him.

"The Aplans?" he repeated.

"They've got two heads." River told him.

"Yes, I get that." He replied. "So?"

"So why don't the statues?" the Doctor asked. "Everyone, over there. Just move, don't ask questions, don't speak."

Everyone moved to the spot he was motioning to where there were no statues.

"Okay." He said. "I want you all to switch off your torches."

"Sir?" Octavian asked.

"Just do it." The Doctor told him.

They all switched them off, till the only one left was the Doctor's.

"Okay." He said. "I'm going to turn off this one too, just for a moment."

"Are you sure about this?" River asked. "She's not here to protect us."

"No." the Doctor replied. "Which is why, if we survive, no one is allow to tell her I did this."

"You do know that that will be the first thing I do when I see her next, right?" River replied.

"Shut up." He said.

He switched off his torch for a split second and when it came back on, all the statues in front of them were now facing them.

The Doctor took off.

"Oh, my God!" Amy said. "They've moved."

They all followed after the Doctor and joined him as he stared at the statues lining their way to the ship.

"They're Angels." He said. "All of them!"

"But they can't be." River protested.

"Clerics, keep watching them." The Doctor ordered before backtracking and seeing the Angels have moved forward. "Every statue in this maze, every single one, is a Weeping Angel. They're coming after us."

* * *

Bob had moved into the chamber, looking for Angelo and Christian.

"Bob, come and see this." Angelo called over the radio.

"Angelo?" Bob called.

"Come and see what we've found." Angelo called.

"Are you with Christian?" Bob asked. "The Bishop said you'd be five minutes."

"I'm here." Angelo replied. "Come and see this."

"Where are you?" Bob asked.

Through the arch, Bob." Angelo replied. "Honestly, you've got to come and see this."

"What have you found?" Bob asked.

"Come and see." Angelo replied.

"No." Bob said. "What is it?"

"Come and see." Angelo pushed.

Bob walked through the archway.

He never even saw the Angel.

A/N: The Angels have made me afraid of statues. Going to church sucks! Anyway, let me know what you think.

Abbey


	29. Time of the Angels: In a Trap

Disclaimer*: …..

*Writer is too scared of the Angels to even come out and make some witty comment about not owning Doctor Who. Please check back later.

Ch. 29:

"There was only one Angel on the ship." River told The Doctor. "Just the one, I swear."

"Could they have been here already?" Amy asked.

"The Aplans, how did they die out?" the Doctor asked.

"Nobody knows." River replied.

"We know." The Doctor said.

"They don't look like Angels." Octavian pointed out.

"And they're not fast." Amy added. "You said they were fast. They should have had us by now."

"They're dying." The Doctor said. "Losing their form. They must have been down here for centuries, starving."

"Losing their image." Amy said.

"And their image is their power." The Doctor agreed, pausing. "Power. Power!"

"Doctor?" Amy asked.

"Don't you see?" he asked. "All that radiation spilling out, the drive burn. The crash wasn't an accident-it was a rescue mission, for the Angels. We're in the middle of an army and it's waking up."

"We need to get out of here fast." River said.

"Bob, Angelo, Christian, come in, please." Octavian called into his radio. "Any of you, come in!"

"It's Bob, sir." Came the reply. "Sorry, sir."

"Bob, are Angelo and Christian with you?" Octavian asked. "All the statues are active. I repeat, all the statues are active!"

"I know, sir." Bob replied. "Angelo and Christian are dead, sir. The statues killed them, sir."

The Doctor snatched the radio away.

"Bob, Sacred Bob, it's me, the Doctor." He called. "Where are you now?"

"I'm talking to my-" Octavian started crossly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, shut up!" the Doctor interrupted.

"I'm on my way up to you, sir." Bob told him. "I'm homing on your signal."

"Well done, Bob." The Doctor said. "Scared keeps you fast, told you, didn't I? Your friends, Bob, what did the Angel do to them?"

"Snapped their necks, sir." Bob replied.

"That's odd." The Doctor mused. "That's not how the Angels kill you, they displace you in time. Unless they needed the bodies for something."

Octavian snatched the radio back.

"Bob, did you check their data packs for vital signs?" he asked. "We may be able to initiate a rescue plan."

The Doctor snatched the radio back again.

"Don't be an idiot!" he said. "The Angels don't leave you alive!"

He put the radio back to his mouth.

"Bob, keep running." He ordered. "But tell me, how did you escape?"

"I didn't escape, sir." Bob replied. "The Angel killed me, too."

They all looked at each other.

"What do you mean the Angel killed you too?" the Doctor asked.

"Snapped my neck, sir." Bob told him. "Wasn't as painless as I expected but it was pretty quick, so that was something."

"If you're dead, how can I be talking to you?" the Doctor asked him.

"You're not talking to me, sir." Bob replied. "The Angel has no voice. It stripped my cerebral cortex from my body and re-animated a version of my consciousness to communicate with you. Sorry about the confusion."

"So when you say you're on your way up to us…" The Doctor said.

"It's the Angel that's coming, sir, yes." Bob replied.

"No way out." The Doctor told the others.

"Then we get out through the wreckage." Octavian said. "Go!"

"Go, go, go." The Doctor ordered. "All of you run!"

"Doctor?" Amy asked.

"Yes, I'm coming, just go, go, go!" the Doctor told her.

Amy and River left with the clerics, leaving only the Doctor and Octavian.

"Called you an idiot." The Doctor said. "Sorry, but there's no way we could have rescued your men."

"I know that, sir." Octavian replied. "And when you've flown away in your little blue box, I'll explain that to their families."

He turned and walked away, leaving the Doctor alone.

"Angel Bob, which Angel am I talking to?" he finally asked. "The one from the ship?"

"Yes, sir." Angel Bob replied. "The other Angels are still restoring."

"Ah, so the Angel is not in the wreckage." The Doctor said. "Thank you."

The Doctor quickly ran along the passage and saw Amy standing there.

"Don't wait for me, go, run." He told her.

"I can't!" she said as he ran past.

He came back.

"No, really, I can't." she told him.

"Why not?" the Doctor asked.

"Look at it." She said. "Look at my hand. It's stone."

* * *

The rest of them entered an open chamber, and above them was the ship.

"Well." Octavian said. "There it is-the Byzantium."

"Well, it's got to be 30 feet." River said. "How do we get up there?"

"Check all these exits." Octavian ordered. "I want them all secure."

* * *

The Doctor was flashing his torch in Amy's eyes.

"You looked into the eyes of an Angel, didn't you?" he asked.

"I couldn't stop myself." She said. "I tried."

"Listen." He told her. "It's messing with your head. Your hand is not made of stone."

"It is." She insisted. "Look at it!"

"It's in your mind." The Doctor told her. "I promise you. You can move that hand. You can let go."

"I can't, okay?" she shot back. "I've tried and I can't. It's stone."

The torch began to flicker.

"The Angel is going to come and it's gonna turn this light off, and there's nothing I can do to stop it." He told her. "So do it, concentrate, move your hand!"

"I can't!" she told him.

"Then we're both going to die." He replied.

"You're not going to die." She said.

"They'll kill the lights." He said.

The lights flickered and the Angels around them moved closer.

"You've got to go, you know you have." Amy told him. "You've got all that stuff with River and that's all got to happen. You know you can't die here! You promised the Phoenix you wouldn't leave her, right? So she's probably waiting for you. You have to go back to her, so you can't die here."

"Time can be re-written." The Doctor said. "And promises broken. It doesn't work like that."

The light flickered again and Amy turned to look at the Angels.

"Keep your eyes on it." The Doctor told her. "Don't blink."

"Run!" Amy told him.

"You see, I'm not going, I'm not leaving you here." the Doctor said.

"I don't need you to die for me, Doctor." She told him. "Do I look that clingy?"

"You can move your hand." The Doctor told her.

"It's stone." She insisted.

"It's not stone!" he insisted.

"Those people up there will die without you." Amy said. "If you stay here with me, you'll have as good as killed them."

"Amy Pond, you are magnificent." The Doctor said, leaning his forehead against her head. "And I'm sorry."

"It's okay." She said. "I understand. You've got to leave me."

"Oh, no, I'm not leaving you, never." He told her. "I'm sorry about this."

He leaned down and bit her hand, making her scream as she moved it.

"See, not stone." He told her. "Now run!"

"You bit me!" she accused.

"Yep and you're alive." He told her.

"I've got a mark!" she said. "Look at my hand!"

"Yeah, and you're alive, did I mention?" he said, pulling her behind him.

"Blimey, your teeth!" she complained. "Have you got space teeth?"

"Alive." He said. "All I'm saying."

They ran.

* * *

One of the clerics ran back to the open space.

"The statues are advancing along all corridors." He reported. "And, sir, my torch keeps flickering."

"They all do." Octavian said.

"So does the gravity globe." River pointed out.

"Clerics, we're down to four men." Octavian called. "Expect incoming."

"Yeah, it's the Angels." The Doctor said as he and Amy entered. "They're coming. And they're draining the power for themselves."

"Which means we won't be able to see them." Octavian said.

"Which means we can't stay here." The Doctor agreed.

"There are more incoming!" Octavian called.

"Any suggestions?" River asked.

"The statues are advancing on all sides and we don't have the climbing equipment to reach the Byzantium." Octavian said.

"There's no way up, no way back, no way out." River said. "No pressure, but this is usually when you have a really good idea."

"There's always a way out." The Doctor replied.

The light flickered off and when they came back, the Angels were closer, blocking the passages.

"There's always a way out." The Doctor repeated.

"Doctor?" Angel Bob called. "Can I speak to the Doctor, please?"

"Hello, Angels." The Doctor replied. "What's your problem?"

"Your power will not last much longer, and the Angels will be with you shortly." Angel Bob said. "Sorry, sir."

"Why are you telling me this?" the Doctor asked.

"There's something the Angels are very keen you should know before the end." Angel Bob said.

"Which is?" the Doctor asked.

"I died in fear." Angel Bob said.

"I'm sorry?" the Doctor asked.

"You told me my fear would keep alive but I died afraid, in pain and alone." Angel Bob told him. "You made me trust you, and when it mattered, you let me down."

"What are they doing?" Amy whispered to River.

"They're trying to make him angry." River whispered back.

"I'm sorry, sir." Angel Bob said. "The Angels were very keen for you to know that."

"Well then, the Angels have made their second mistake because I'm not going to let that pass." The Doctor told the Angels angrily. "I'm sorry you're dead, Bob, but I swear to whatever is left of you, they will be sorrier."

"But you're trapped, sir," Angel Bob said, "and about to die."

"Yeah, I'm trapped." The Doctor replied. "Speaking of traps, this trap has got a great big mistake in it. A great big, whopping mistake!"

"What mistake, sir?" Angel Bob asked.

"Trust me?" the Doctor asked Amy.

"Yeah." Amy replied immediately.

"Trust me?" he asked River.

"Always." She replied.

"You lot-" he asked Octavian. "Trust me?"

"Sir, two more incoming!" a cleric called.

"We have faith, sir." Octavian told the Doctor.

"Then give me your gun." The Doctor said.

Octavian handed it over.

"I'm about to do something incredibly stupid and dangerous." He told them. "When I do…" he jumped in place, "jump."

"Jump where?" Octavian asked.

"Just jump, high as you can." The Doctor told them. "Come on, leap of faith, Bishop. On my signal."

"What signal?" Octavian asked.

"You won't miss it." The Doctor replied.

He aimed the gun at the roof.

"Sorry, can I ask again?" Angel Bob called. "You mentioned a mistake?"

"Oh, big mistake." The Doctor replied. "Huge. There's one thing you never put in a trap, if you're smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there is one thing you never, ever put in a trap."

"And what would that be, sir?" Angel Bob asked.

"Me." The Doctor replied.

He fired and the gravity globe exploded.

A/N: And that's it for Time of the Angels. Let me know what you thought.

Abbey


	30. Torchwood May: Let Me Go

Disclaimer: If I had any claim to Doctor Who, I would be in the U.K. not the U.S. Also I don't own Pray For You.

Ch. 30:

"We've got another report of an attack." Mickey called. "Weevils attacked a couple taking a walk."

Lily groaned.

"How bad?" she asked.

"Husband's dead." He replied. "Wife's in critical condition."

"You've got to be kidding me." Donna said. "That makes, what? Six this week?"

"Seven." Martha replied.

"You know, it was so much easier when Owen was around." Lily complained. "What I wouldn't give to have the King of the Weevils back. I don't suppose one of you would let me kill you so I could bring you back with the gauntlet?"

Martha, Mickey, Shawn, and Donna stared at her.

"I didn't think so." Lily muttered, standing up. "I'll go track it down."

"You want back up?" Mickey asked.

"Nah, I'll be fine." Lily replied as she grabbed her jacket and gun. "It's late. Everyone go home."

"I'll stay to help you get the thing into containment." Mickey told her.

"Thanks." Lily said.

"You going to go home too?" Donna asked.

"Right after I take care of the Weevil." Lily replied.

She walked out as the rest got ready to leave.

Lily started at the scene of the attack and tracked the Weevil through the Cardiff alleys. She finally caught up with it and it immediately turned and attacked.

"Oh, how I miss the King of the Weevils." Lily muttered as she dogged.

Her foot flew out and sent the weevil to the ground. Before she could subdue it, it was up and attacking again. She dogged and punched and kicked, but the weevil stayed one step ahead of her. Finally, as it went flying past her, she reached up and touched its neck. Her eyes flared and it went down. She turned around, breathing heavily, and caught a familiar scent.

The Doctor.

Her eyes searched the surrounding area, but she didn't see anything. Finally, she pulled out her phone and called Mickey.

"The weevil's down." Lily said. "Get ready for transport and come meet me."

"Be there in five." Mickey replied, hanging up.

Lily closed her phone and looked around again. There was nothing there, but she could still smell him. She shivered in the warm air and pulled her jacket tighter. A minute later, the scent was gone.

A few minutes later, Mickey arrived and helped Lily load the weevil before driving back and helping her put it into containment.

She never said a word.

"Lily, are you alright?" he finally asked as they were leaving.

"I'm fine." She said softly. "Have a nice night."

"You too." Mickey replied.

He watched her for a moment before walking off.

Lily sighed and started to walk back to her apartment. Finally, she pulled out her key and opened her door. She pulled her jacket off, hissing as it stuck to her arm. She looked down at herself for the first time and saw that she had many cuts and wounds from her fight. They were healing quickly, but they still hurt. She threw the torn up jacket at the couch, but missed, knocking over the picture of her and the Doctor. She picked it up and stared at it for a moment.

The she threw it at the wall.

She spent the next 15 minutes or so, systematically destroying her living room. She broke ever lamp, smashed the coffee table, and tore the couch apart. She only stopped when there was a knock on the door.

She wrenched the door open to find Gwen standing on her doorstep.

"What?" Lily demanded.

"Your neighbors called the police." The woman told her. "The police knew this was your place so they called Torchwood and were forwarded to my cell. Wanna tell me why there's a hole in your wall?"

Lily glanced back at the hole she didn't really remember making.

"I think I threw a piece of the coffee table into it." She said shrugging.

"You do know you look like you just got the crap kicked out of you, right?" Gwen asked her.

Lily looked back down at herself. The cuts were healed, and the bruises were fading, but her clothes were in tatters.

"You might as well come in." she said, stepping back to allow Gwen in.

The woman stood in the middle of the room, surveying the damage.

"Well I see why the neighbors called." She said. "Is there an appliance you didn't destroy?"

"I think I can fix the clock in the corner." Lily replied, moving to the kitchen. "You want a beer?"

"Sure." Gwen replied, following her into the relatively unhurt kitchen.

Lily pulled out two beers and opened them before handing one to Gwen.

"Cheers." She said.

"Cheers." Gwen replied.

She watched as Lily took a sip from her beer.

"What happened here tonight?" Gwen asked softly.

Lily was silent, nursing her beer.

"You didn't get those wounds destroying your furniture." She continued. "So you must have been in a fight before coming home. Is there a body somewhere that we need to take care of?"

"It was a weevil." Lily told her. "I went hunting it after it attacked a couple. I didn't kill it and Mickey helped me get it back to Torchwood before we both went home for the night."

"So did something happen when you were fighting the weevil?" Gwen asked.

Lily didn't answer.

"Obviously something did." Gwen muttered.

Lily got up and poured the rest of her beer down the sink.

"Tell me what happened." Gwen said softly.

Lily leaned against the counter for a second before spinning around and throwing her bottle into the wall. Gwen didn't flinch, sure that the Time Lord wouldn't hurt her.

"Tell me." She insisted.

Lily took a deep breath and brought herself back under control.

"He was there." She said softly.

"Who?" Gwen asked.

"The Doctor." Lily spat.

"You saw him?" Gwen asked, sitting up.

Lily shook her head.

"I smelled him." She replied.

She sighed and sat back down, her eyes full of pain and sadness.

"He left." She said softly. "He didn't even say anything. Why does he keep doing this? I keep getting almost to a place where I think I might be able to live without him. That I might be able to survive even with the pain in my soul, but then he somehow manages to bring it crashing down on me again. Donna's wedding, the letter, tonight. If he doesn't want me, can't he just leave me in peace? Can't he let me try to rebuild?"

Tears poured down Lily's face.

"Can't he let me be?" she cried. "Why can't he let me let him go?"

Gwen got up and wrapped her arms around the woman, holding her and hushing her as she cried.

"It hurts." Lily cried. "Every day it feels like parts of me are dying and I can't stop it."

"It'll be alright." Gwen told her kneeling in front of her. "I think this is a good sign."

"How can it be a good sign?" Lily demanded.

"The fact that he keeps coming back, that he keeps contacting you in even the slightest way." Gwen told her. "It means he can't let go either. It means that, eventually, he'll come back."

"Even if he does," Lily said softly, "how can I forgive him?"

"You can forgive him because you love him." Gwen told her. "And he loves you. I don't pretend to understand your relationship and all its meanings, but I do know that. And one day, he'll be back, and you'll smile again."

Gwen stood and pulled Lily to her feet.

"Time to sleep, Time Lord." She told her, leading her to the bedroom. "We'll take care of the mess tomorrow and tomorrow night we'll go out and get smashed. Leave the boys at home and go, just girls."

Lily smiled and hugged her friend.

"Thanks, Gwen." She said, before pushing her to the door. "Go. Go home to your son and husband."

"You'll be okay?" Gwen asked.

"I'll be fine." Lily told her. "Go."

Gwen nodded and softly closed the door behind herself.

Lily looked around at the destruction for a moment before her eyes landed on the picture that had sparked the rampage.

She gently picked it up and brushed the glass of it. She sighed and placed it on the counter before turning and walking to her bedroom to get some rest.

* * *

The next night, the girls were totally drunk and on to their third bar.

"Ooh, let's go here!" Donna said.

"Karaoke?" Martha said, wrinkling her nose. "Really?"

"Oh, come on, it'll be fun." Gwen said, slightly less drunk then the others due to her son waiting for her at home. "Even totally out of it, Lily's probably better than the rest of them."

Martha sighed and allowed herself to be dragged inside.

"Come on." Donna said, pulling Lily along. "Let's go pick out a song."

"Donna." Lily whined.

"Nope, come on." Donna said, grinning.

They looked through the lists for a moment before Donna picked a song.

"That one." She said.

"Oh, come on." Lily whined again.

"She's gonna sing that one." Donna said, pushing her onto the stage.

The girls clapped and whistled as Lily moved into the light and stepped up to the mic.

"I would just like to say that I hate my friends." She said, making the audience laugh.

The music started and she took a breath.

"_I haven't been to church since I don't remember when  
Things were going great, till they fell apart again  
So I listened to the preacher as he told me what to do  
He said you can't go hatin' others who have done wrong to you  
Sometimes we get angry, but we must not condemn  
Let the good Lord do His job and you just pray for them._

_I pray your brakes go out runnin' down a hill  
I pray a flowerpot falls from a window sill and knocks you in the head like I'd like to  
I pray your birthday come and nobody calls  
I pray you're flyin' high when your engine stalls  
I pray all your dreams never come true  
Just know wherever you are, honey, I pray for you._

_I'm really glad I found my way to church  
'Cause I'm already feelin' better and I thank God for the words  
Yeah, I'm gonna take the high road  
And do what the preacher told me to do  
You keep messin' up, and I'll keep praying for you._

_I pray your tire blows out at 110  
I pray you pass out drunk with your best friend and wake up with his and her tattoos._

_I pray your brakes go out runnin' down a hill  
I pray a flowerpot falls from a window sill and knocks you in the head like I'd like to  
I pray your birthday come and nobody calls  
I pray you're flyin' high when your engine stalls  
I pray all your dreams never come true  
Just know wherever you are, near or far, in your house or in your car,  
Wherever you are, honey, I pray for you._

_I pray for you."_

Lily smiled as the bar applauded and she jumped off the stage.

"Feel better?" Gwen asked as she walked up.

"You know, I actually do." Lily replied, grinning. "Now who's next?"

A/N: So, do you guys like? I'm thinking of cutting Lily out of the next episode and just doing Flesh and Stone. And then we'll be up to Vampires in Venice and the reunion? What do you guys think?

Abbey


	31. Flesh and Stone: Counting Down

Disclaimer: I don't know what the BBC is playing at. Everyone knows that the Doctor belongs to me. Right? Right, guys? Why are you back away?

Ch. 31:

Everyone was still recovering from the jump and Amy was sitting on the ground.

"Up!" the Doctor said as he stood up. "Look up!"

"You okay?" River asked Amy.

"What happened?" Amy asked.

"We jumped." River replied.

"Jumped where?" Amy asked.

"Up, up, look up!" The Doctor repeated.

"Where are we?" Amy asked.

"Exactly where we were." River replied.

"No we're not." Amy protested.

"Move your feet!" the Doctor ordered, bending down to sonic an indentation on the floor.

"Doctor, what am I looking at?" Amy demanded. "Explain."

"Oh, come on, Amy, think!" the Doctor replied. "The ship crashed with the power still on, yeah? So what else is still on?"

Amy looked around and realized she was standing on the hull of the Byzantium.

"The artificial gravity." The Doctor continued. "One good jump, and up we fell. Shot out the grav-globe to give us an updraft, and here we are!"

He returned to sonicing the indentation.

"Doctor." Octavian called. "The statues, they look more like Angels now."

Below them, the Angels were gathering.

"They're feeding on the radiation from the wreckage, draining all the power from the ship, restoring themselves." The Doctor said. "Within an hour, they'll be an army!"

The indentation was actually a hatch and it popped open as the lights stated going out.

"They're taking out the lights." The Doctor said. "Look at them, look at the Angels. Into the ship, now, quickly all of you!"

He slipped into the hole and suddenly he was standing perpendicular to them.

"But how?" Amy asked, looking into the hole. "Doctor!"

"It's just a corridor." The Doctor replied. "The gravity orientates to the floor. Now, in here, all of you. Don't take your eyes off the Angels. Move, move, move!"

He used the screwdriver on a keypad as the others began to jump inside.

"Okay, men, go, go, go!" Octavian ordered, following them inside. "The Angels, presumably they can jump up too?"

The door closed once everyone was inside.

"They're here." the Doctor said. "Now. In the dark, we're finished. Run!"

They turned to do as ordered, but the bulkhead closed, blocking their only escape.

"The whole place is a death trap." Octavian said.

"No, it's a time bomb." The Doctor said. "Well, it's a death trap and a time bomb. And now it's a dead end. Nobody panic."

The Angels began to try to open the exterior hatch.

"Oh, just me then." The Doctor said, noticing no one else was panicking. "What's through here?"

"Secondary flight deck." River replied.

"Okay, so we've basically run up the inside of a chimney, yeah?" Amy said. "So what if the gravity fails?"

River began to quickly work on bypassing the power.

"I've thought about that." The Doctor said.

"And?" Amy asked.

"And we all plunge to our deaths." The Doctor replied. "See, I've thought about it. The security protocols are still live. There's no way to override them, it's impossible."

"How impossible?" River asked.

"Two minutes." The Doctor replied.

"The Phoenix would've already had us through already." River muttered.

The Doctor turned and glared at her.

"What do you want me to say?" he demanded. "That the Phoenix should be here? That I ran away from her because I'm an coward who didn't want to face the woman I love? That by not having her, I've put us all in more danger? That, yes, indeed, I need her more than I can say? I already know all this, so what does it do to say it? Tell me River, how can this be made better by admitting I need her?"

The others stared at him.

"I'm sorry." River said softly.

"Yeah." The Doctor replied before going back to work.

A second later, River did the same.

Then the hatch opened.

"The hull is breached and the power's failing." Octavian said.

The lights went out and when they came back, they could see the arm of an Angel.

"Sir!" a cleric called. "Incoming!"

"Doctor!" Amy called. "Lights."

The Doctor went to help River and the lights came on briefly, showing an Angel making its way inside. The lights went out again and then came on brighter to show four Angels inside the corridor with them.

"Clerics, keep watching them." Octavian ordered.

"And don't look at their eyes." The Doctor added. "Anywhere else. Not the eyes. I've isolated the lighting grid. They can't drain the power now."

"Good work, Doctor." Octavian said.

"Yes." The Doctor replied. "Good. Good in many ways, good you like it so far…"

"So far?" Amy asked.

"Well, there's only one way to open this door." The Doctor said. "I guess I'll need to route all the power in this section through the door control."

"Good, fine, do it." Octavian ordered.

"Including the lights." The Doctor said. "All of them. I'll need to turn out the lights."

They stared at him.

"How long for?" Octavian asked.

"Fraction of a second, maybe longer." The Doctor replied. "Maybe quite a bit longer."

"Maybe?" Octavian repeated.

"I'm guessing." The Doctor told him. "We're being attacked by statues in a crashed ship, there isn't a manual for this!"

"Doctor, we lost the torches." Amy told him. "We'll be in total darkness."

"No other way." The Doctor replied. "Bishop?"

Octavian turned to River.

"Dr. Song, I've lost good clerics today." He told her. "You trust this man?"

"I absolutely trust him." She replied instantly.

"He's not some kind of madman then?" Octavian pressed.

River hesitated.

"I absolutely trust him." She repeated.

"Excuse me." The Doctor said, going back to work.

"I'm taking your word, because you're the only one who can manage this guy." Octavian told her softly. "But that only works for so long as he doesn't know who you are. You cost me any more men, and I might just tell him. Understood?"

"Understood." River replied.

"Okay." Octavian said before raising his voice so the others could hear. "Doctor, we've got your back."

"Bless you, Bishop." The Doctor replied.

"Combat distance, ten feet." Octavian told the clerics. "As soon as the lights go down, continuous fire. Full spread over the hostiles. Do not stop firing while the lights are out. Shot fun protocol, we don't have bullets to waste."

"Amy, when the lights go down, the wheel should release." The Doctor said. "Spin it clockwise, four turns."

"Ten." Amy replied.

"No, four." The Doctor told her. "Four turns."

"Yeah, four, I heard you." She replied, looking at him strangely as she took her position.

"Ready!" the Doctor called, placing the sonic screwdriver into the circuit.

"On my count then." Octavian said. "God be with us all. Three…two…one…" The lights went out. "Fire!"

The clerics opened fire and the Doctor, Amy, and River tried to get the door open.

"Turn!" the Doctor yelled.

"Doctor, quickly!" River called.

"It's opening." Amy said. "It's working!"

Amy and River slipped through the opening.

"Fall back!" Octavian ordered.

The clerics moved through the doorway, followed by Octavian and the Doctor. They moved down the corridor to the next door and the Doctor held it open with the sonic screwdriver as the others went through.

"Doctor, quickly!" River called.

"Doctor!" Amy yelled.

The Doctor ran to join them and the door closed quickly behind him.

They found themselves inside a badly damaged flight deck and the Doctor immediately went to one of the controls.

"Doctor!" Amy called as Octavian placed a device on the door. "What are you doing?"

"Magnetized the door." Octavian replied. "Nothing could turn that wheel now."

"Yeah?" the Doctor called.

The wheel began to slowly turn.

"Dear God!" Octavian exclaimed.

"Ah, now you're getting it!" the Doctor said. "You've brought us time though, that's good. I am good with time."

"Doctor!" Amy called, pointing to another door wheel began to turn.

"Seal that door." Octavian ordered. "Seal it now!"

A cleric placed a magnetic device on the second door.

"We're surrounded!" River called as the third door began to spin.

"Seal it, seal that door." Octavian ordered.

A second cleric placed a device on the door.

"Doctor, how long have we got?" Octavian asked.

"Five minutes, max." the Doctor replied.

"Nine." Amy said.

"Five." The Doctor corrected, looking at her.

"Five, right, yeah." She said.

"Why'd you say nine?" He asked.

"I didn't." she replied.

"We need another way out of here." River said.

"There isn't one." Octavian replied.

"Yeah there is, course there is." The Doctor said. "This is a galaxy class ship, goes for years between planet-falls. So," he snapped his fingers, "what do they need?"

"Of course." River said.

The Doctor snapped his fingers again.

"Of course, what?" Amy asked. "What do they need?"

"Can we get in there?" Octavian asked.

"Well, it's a sealed unit, but they must have installed it somehow." The Doctor replied. "This whole wall should slide up." He pressed against the rear wall. "There's clamps. Release the clamps!" He pointed the screwdriver at the clamps.

"What's through there?" Amy demanded. "What do they need?"

"They need to breathe." River replied.

The door slowly rose and the Doctor smiled at Amy's awestruck face.

"But that's…" she stuttered. "That's a…."

The door opened fully and behind it was lush vegetation and trees.

"It's an oxygen factory." River told her.

"It's a forest." Amy said.

"Yeah, it's a forest, it's an oxygen factory." River replied.

"And, if we're lucky, an escape route." The Doctor added.

"Eight." Amy said.

"What did you say?" River asked.

"Nothing." Amy replied.

"Is there another exit?" the Doctor asked. "Scan the architecture, we don't have time to get lost in there."

"On it!" Octavian replied, stepping into the forest. "Stay where you are until I've checked the Rad levels."

"But trees!" Amy marveled. "On a space ship?"

"Oh, more than trees, way better than trees. You're going to love this." The Doctor told her as he stepped into the forest. "Treeborgs…" he opened a section of moss to reveal circuitry. "Trees plus technology. Branches become cables, become sensors on the hull. A forest sucking in starlight, breathing out air. It even rains. There's a whole mini-climate. It is an eco-pod running through the heart of the ship. A forest in a bottle, on a space ship, in a maze. Have I impressed you yet, Amy Pond?"

"Seven." She said, chuckling.

"Seven?" he asked, walking back to her.

"Sorry, what?" Amy asked.

"You said seven." The Doctor said, studying her face.

"No, I didn't." she replied.

"Yes, you did." River told her.

"Doctor!" Octavian called. "There's an exit, far end of the ship, into the Primary Flight Deck."

"Good, that's where we need to go." The Doctor told him.

"Plotting a safe path." Octavian said.

"Quick as you like!" the Doctor replied, his eyes not leaving Amy.

"Doctor?" Angel Bob called over the radio. "Excuse me. Hello, Doctor? Angel Bob here, sir."

"Ah." The Doctor said, sitting down in the command chair. "There you are, Angel Bob. How's life? Sorry, bad subject."

"The Angels are wondering what you hope to achieve." Angel Bob told him.

"Achieve?" the Doctor replied. "We're not achieving anything. We're just hanging. It's nice in here, consoles, comfy chairs, a forest. How's things with you?"

"The Angels are feasting, sir." Angel Bob told him. "Soon we will be able to absorb enough power to consume this vessel, this world, and all the stars and worlds beyond."

"Well, we've got comfy chairs, did I mention?" the Doctor asked.

"We have no need of comfy chairs." Angel Bob replied.

"I made him say comfy chairs!" the Doctor gloated.

"Six." Amy said, laughing.

"Okay, well, enough chat." The Doctor said, standing up quickly. "Here's what I want to know: what have you done to Amy?"

"There is something in her eye." Angel Bob told him.

"What's in her eye?" the Doctor demanded.

"We are." Angel Bob replied.

"What's he talking about?" Amy asked as everyone stared at her. "Doctor, I'm five. I mean, five. Fine! I'm fine!"

"You're counting." River told her.

"Counting?" Amy asked.

"You're counting down." The Doctor said. "From ten. You have been for a couple of minutes."

"Why?" Amy asked him.

"I don't know." He replied.

"Well, counting down to what?" she demanded.

"I don't know." He replied.

"We shall take her." Angel Bob told them. "We shall take all of you. We shall have dominion over all time and space."

"Get a life, Bob." The Doctor said as he sat down. "Oops, sorry again. There's power on this ship, but nowhere near that much."

"With respect, sir, there is more power on this ship than you yet understand." Angel Bob said.

There was a loud horrible screeching noise.

"Dear God, what is it?" River asked.

"They're back." Octavian said.

"It's hard to put in your terms, Dr. Song, but as best I understand it, the Angels are laughing." Angel Bob told them.

"Laughing?" the Doctor asked.

"Because you haven't noticed yet." He replied. "The Doctor in the TARDIS hasn't noticed."

"Doctor!" Octavian called.

The Doctor stood up.

"No, wait, there's something….I've…" he said, slowly turning, " missed."

Behind them was a glowing crack, high on the wall. He ran to stand in front of it.

"That's…." Amy breathed. "That's like the crack from my bedroom wall from when I was a little girl."

"Yes." The Doctor replied, staring at it.

A/N: So no Lily this episode. I forgot to thank all of you for getting this story over a hundred reviews! Go you guys! Also, I've decided that I don't care what they name Gwen's baby, I'm pretty much disregarding New World, so he will remain Ianto in this story. So there! Anyway, let me know what you think.

Abbey


	32. Flesh and Stone: You Have To Remember

Disclaimer: I own the whole world, haven't you heard?

Ch. 32:

They all stood there looking at the crack.

"Okay, enough, we're moving out!" Octavian said.

"Agreed." River said. "Doctor?"

"Yeah, fine!" he said, scanning the crack with his screwdriver.

"What are you doing?" River asked him.

"Right with you." He said, ignoring the question.

"We're not leaving without you!" She told him.

"Oh, yes you are." The Doctor replied. "Bishop?"

"Miss Pond, Dr. Song, now!" the Bishop called.

River grabbed Amy and pulled her into the forest.

"Doctor, come on!" Amy yelled.

"So, what are you?" the Doctor murmured, looking at the readings. "Oh, that's bad. Ah, that's extremely very not good."

He pressed his ear against the wall to listen and when he finally turned around, he found himself surrounded by angels.

"Do no blink." He muttered.

He slowly climbed over the console to get past them, but the moment his back was to one of them, it grabbed him by his jacket collar.

* * *

Octavian and the clerics kept River and Amy safely in the middle as they slowly made their way through the forest.

As they walked, Amy became unsteady and she staggered, looking sick.

"Amy?" River asked, gripping her arms. "Amy, what's wrong?"

* * *

The Doctor was still being held by the Angels.

"Why am I not dead then?" he asked.

He turned and saw that the Angels had their hands outstretched towards the crack.

"Good, and not so good." He said. "Oh, this isn't even a little bit good. I mean, is that it? Is that the power that brought you here? That's pure time energy, you can't feed on that. That's the power, that's the fire at the end of the universe. I'll tell you something else…" There was a loud rumbling sound. "Never let me talk!"

He slipped out of his jacket and ran, leaving the jacket with the Angels.

* * *

"Amy, what's wrong?" River asked.

"Four." Amy said softly, curling up on a rock.

"Med-scanner, now!" River ordered and a cleric handed it to her.

"Dr. Song, we can't stay here, we've got to keep moving." Octavian told her.

"We wait for the Doctor." She replied, using the scanner on Amy.

"Our mission is to make this wreckage safe and neutralize the Angels." Octavian said. "Until that is achieved…"

"Father Octavian," River interrupted, "when the Doctor is in the room, your only mission is to keep him alive long enough to get everyone else home. And trust me, it's not easy. The Phoenix is the only one who does it with any regularity, and if he's dead back there, we have bigger problems. Even if we survive, she will eventually find out and she will track us down and kill us all. And even if that weren't true, if he is dead, I'll never forgive myself, and if he's alive, I'll never forgive him. And, Doctor, you're standing right behind me, aren't you?"

"Oh, yeah." He replied.

"I hate you!" River said, turning to face him.

"You don't." he shot back. "Bishop, the Angels are in the forest."

"We need visual contact on every line of approach." Octavian ordered.

"And your wrong about the Phoenix." The Doctor continued, moving to Amy's side. "She wouldn't kill you. She'd probably just make you wish you were dead."

"How did you get past the Angels?" River asked him.

"Found a crack in the wall and told them it was the end of the universe." He replied.

"What was it?" Amy asked weakly.

"The end of the universe." The Doctor replied. "Let's have a look then."

He took the med-scanner and checked the reading.

"So, what's wrong with me?" Amy asked.

"Nothing." River told her, stroking her hair. "You're fine."

"Everything, you're dying." The Doctor said.

"Doctor!" River rebuked.

"Yes, you're right, if we lie to her, she'll get better!" he shouted. "Amy! Amy. What's the matter with Amelia? Something's in her eye. What does that mean? Doesn't mean anything."

"Doctor." Amy said.

"Busy." He replied.

"Scared!" she shot back.

"'Course, you're dying, shut up!" the Doctor told her.

"Okay, let him think." River replied, getting between them.

"What happened?" the Doctor asked, standing up. "She stared at the Angel, she looked into the eyes of an angel for too long…"

"Sir!" a cleric called. "Angel, incoming!"

An Angel watched them from the tree line.

"And here." another cleric called.

"Keep visual contact, do not let it move!" Octavian ordered.

The Doctor paced, slapping the sides of his head.

"Come on, come one, wakey, wakey!" he muttered. "She watched an Angel climb out of the screen. She stared at the Angel and…and…"

"The image of an Angel is an Angel." Amy said softly.

"A living image in a human mind." The Doctor said softly. "We stare at them to stop them getting closer, we don't even blink and that's exactly what they want, 'cause as long as our eyes are open, they can climb inside. There's an Angel in her mind."

"Three." Amy said. "Doctor, it's coming. I can feel it. I'm going to die!"

"Please just shut up, I'm thinking." The Doctor told her. "Now counting, what's that about?" He raised the radio to his mouth. "Bob, why are they making her count?"

"To make her afraid, sir." Angel Bob replied.

"Okay, but why?" the Doctor asked. "What for?"

"For fun, sir." Angel Bob said.

The Doctor growled and threw the radio away. One of the clerics watched the Doctor, but turned back when he heard a branch crack.

"Doctor, what's happening to me?" Amy demanded. "Explain!"

"Inside your head, in the vision centers of your brain, there's an Angel." He told her, sitting down next to her. "It's like there's a screen, a virtual screen inside your mind, and the Angel is climbing out of it, and it's coming to shut you off."

"Then what do I do?" Amy asked.

"If it were a real screen, what would we do?" the Doctor asked, standing up. "We'd pull the plug, but we can't just knock her out, the Angel would take over!"

"Then what?" River asked. "Quickly!"

"We've got to shut down the vision centers of her brain." He said. "We've got to pull the plug, starve the Angel."

"Doctor, she's got seconds." River said, looking at the scanner.

"How would you starve your lungs?" the Doctor asked.

"I'd stop breathing." River replied.

"Amy, close your eyes." The Doctor said.

"No, no, I don't want to." Amy whined.

"Good, because that's not you, that's the Angel inside you, it's afraid!" the Doctor told her. "Do it! Close your eyes!"

Amy hesitated, but she closed her eyes with the Doctor encouragement. The scanner beeped and returned to green.

"She's normalizing." River said, sighing. "You did it! You did it!"

"Sir?" a cleric called. "Two more incoming."

"Three more over here." another reported.

"Still weak, dangerous to move her." River told the Doctor.

"So, can I open my eyes now?" Amy asked, sitting up.

"Amy, listen to me." The Doctor said, bending down in front of her. "If you open your eyes now for more than a second, you will die. The Angel is still inside you. We haven't stopped it, we've sort of…paused it. You've used up your countdown. You cannot open your eyes."

"Doctor, we're too exposed here." Octavian said. "We have to move on."

"We're exposed everywhere, and Amy can't move, and anyway, that's not the plan." The Doctor replied.

"There's a plan?" River asked, sitting next to Amy.

"I don't know yet, I haven't finished talking." The Doctor said. "Right! Father, you and your clerics will stay here, look after Amy. If anything happens to her, I'll hold each of you personally responsible, twice. River, you and me, we're going to find the Primary Flight Deck which is…" He licked his finger and held it up to test the air. "A quarter mile straight ahead. We'll stabilize the wreckage, stop the Angels and cure Amy."

"How?" River asked.

"I'll do a thing." The Doctor replied.

"What thing?" she pressed.

"I don't know, it's a thing in progress." He told her. "Respect the thing. Moving out!"

"Doctor, I'm coming with you." Octavian told him. "My clerics can look after Miss Pond. These are my best men, they'd lay down their lives in her protection."

"I don't need you." The Doctor said.

"I don't care." The Bishop replied. "Where Dr. Song goes, I go."

River joined them.

"What?" the Doctor asked, looking between them. "You two engaged or something?"

"Yes, in a manner of speaking." Octavian replied. "Marco, you're in charge till I get back."

"Sir!" Marco replied, acknowledging the order

Octavian began to walk away with River.

"Doctor…" Amy pleaded. "Please, can't I come with you?"

"You'd slow us down, Miss Pond." Octavian told her.

"I don't want to sound selfish, but you'd really speed me up." She said.

"You'll be safer here." the Doctor told her, sitting next to her. "We can't protect you on the move. I'll be back for you soon as I can. I promise."

"You always say that." She said.

"I always come back." He replied, standing up. "Good luck everyone. Behave. Do not let that girl open her eyes. And keep watching the forest. Stop those Angels advancing. Amy, later!" he tapped her head. "River, going to need your computer." He called as he left.

"Yeah." Amy said miserably. "Later."

Amy fidgeted with her hands, until another pair of hands stilled them.

"Amy." The Doctor said softly. "You need to start trusting me, it's never been more important."

"But you don't always tell me the truth." She replied.

"If I always told you the truth, I wouldn't need you to trust me." He replied.

Amy heard someone chuckle. It sounded like a woman.

"Doctor, the crack in my wall." She said. "How can it be here?"

"I don't know yet, but I'm working it out." He told her. "Now, listen. Remember what I told you when you were seven?"

"What did you tell me?" Amy asked.

"No." The Doctor said, resting his forehead against hers. "No…That's not the point. You have to remember."

"Theta, we have to go." A female voice Amy didn't recognize said.

"Who is that?" Amy demanded. "Who's there?"

The woman chuckled and Amy felt a kiss being pressed to her head.

"Everything's going to be alright." The woman told her. "Trust us. You're going to be fine."

"What's going on?" Amy demanded. "Who are you? What am I supposed to remember? Doctor, what's happening? Doctor?"

He was gone.

* * *

Octavian led River and the Doctor through the forest and the Doctor stopped to check the device.

"What's that?" River asked.

"Readings from a crack in a wall." The Doctor replied.

"How can a crack in the wall be the end of the universe?" she asked.

"Here's what I think." The Doctor said. "One day there'll be a very big bang, so big every moment in history-past and future-will crack."

"Is that possible?" River asked. "How?"

"How can you be engaged in a manner of speaking?" the Doctor shot back.

"Well…sucker for a man in uniform." River replied, smiling.

"Dr. Song is in my personal custody." Octavian said, walking over to them. "I released her from the Stormcage Containment Facility four days ago and I am legally responsible for her until she has accomplished her mission and earned her pardon. Just so we understand each other."

"You were in Stormcage?" the Doctor demanded when the device beeped again.

"What?" River asked. "What is that?"

"The date!" the Doctor said. "The date of the explosion where the crack begins."

"And for those of us who can't read the base code of the universe?" River asked.

The date appeared at the bottom of the screen.

_26/06/2010_

"Amy's time." The Doctor said, looking up at River. "Where Lily is."

A/N: Dun Dun Dun Duh! Now, three guesses who the woman with the Doctor was, and the first two don't count. Let me know what you thought.

Abbey


	33. Flesh and Stone: At My Best

Disclaimer: If I could afford to buy the Doctor the world would be a better place.

Ch. 33:

"So, what's happening?" Amy asked, still sitting with her eyes closed. "Anything happening out there?"

"The Angels are still grouping." Marco replied.

One of the Angels reached into a tree and pulled out some of the wires, causing the lights to flicker.

"Are you getting this too?" Marco asked.

"The trees?" another cleric asked. "Yeah."

"What wrong with the trees?" Amy asked.

"Here too, sir." One of the other clerics called. "They're ripping the Treeborgs apart."

"And here." the first cleric reported. "They're taking out the lights."

"What is it?" Amy demanded. "What's happening? Tell me. I can't see."

"It's the trees, ma'am." Marco told her. "The trees are going out."

The Angels used the flickering of the lights and began to advance.

* * *

The Doctor took readings from the handheld as Octavian looked for a way in and River stood guard.

"It doesn't open in from here, but it's the Primary Flight Deck." Octavian said. "This has got to be a service hatch or something."

"Hurry up and open it, time's running out." River said.

"What?" the Doctor asked. "What did you say? Time's running out, is that what you said?"

"Yeah." River replied. "I just meant…"

"I know what you meant, hush!" the Doctor said. "But what if it could?"

"What if what could?" River asked.

"Time." The Doctor replied. "What if time could run out?"

"Got it!" Octavian called.

….

"Angels advancing, sir." One of the clerics called.

"Over here, again." Another called.

"Weapons primed." Marco ordered. "Combat distance five feet. Wait for it!"

"What is it?" Amy asked, standing up. "What's happening? Just tell me!"

"Keep your position and, ma'am, keep your eyes shut!" Marco ordered her as the Angels advanced. "Wait!"

A bright light appeared and Marco looked towards it.

"The ship's not on fire, is it?" Marco asked.

"It can't be." One of the clerics said, turning towards the light. "The compressors would have taken care of it." He turned back. "Marco, the Angels have gone. Where'd they go?"

"What, the Angels?" Amy asked.

"This side's clear too, sir." A cleric called.

"The Angels have gone?" Amy asked.

"There's still movement out there, but away from us now." Marco told her, reading his handheld. "It's like they're running."

"Running from what?" Amy asked.

"Phillips, Crispin, need to get a closer look at that." Marco ordered.

The two clerics headed towards the light.

"What are you all looking at?" Amy asked. "What's there?"

Phillip and Crispin disappeared behind some trees.

* * *

"Cracks in time, time running out…" the Doctor murmured. "No, couldn't be. How is a duck pond a duck pond if there aren't any ducks? And she didn't recognize the Daleks! Okay, time can shift. Time can change. Time can be rewritten. Ah! Oh!"

* * *

"It's like I don't know…a curtain of energy, sort of shifting." Marco told Amy. "Makes you feel weird, sick."

"And you think it scared the Angels?" Amy asked.

"What could scare those things?" a cleric asked.

Amy turned hesitantly on the spot.

"What are you doing?" Marco asked.

"Point me at the light." She said.

"You can't open your eyes." Marco told her.

"Not for more than a second, that's what the Doctor said." Amy shot back. "Still got a bit of countdown left."

"Ma'am, you can't." Marco said.

"I need to see it." Amy told him. "Am I looking the right way? I have to be quick."

Marco sighed and pointed her in the right direction.

"Very quick." He told her.

"Okay." Amy said.

She quickly opened her eyes and stared at the crack.

"It's the same shape!" she gasped. "It's the crack in my wall."

"Close your eyes." Marco ordered. "Now!"

"It's following me!" Amy cried. "How can it be following me?"

She fell to her knees and Marco quickly grabbed her, holding his hand over her eyes to force her to close them.

"Are you okay?" Marco asked.

"Yeah." Amy said. "It was the same shape!"

"Marco, you want me to get a closer look at that?" a cleric asked.

"Go for it." Marco replied. "Don't get too close."

"Hang on, what about the other two?" Amy asked. "Why not just wait 'til they get back?"

"What other two?" Marco asked.

"The ones you sent before." Amy replied.

"I didn't send anyone before." He told her.

"You did." Amy insisted. "I heard you. Crispin and Phillip."

"Crispin and who?" Marco asked.

* * *

"Dr. Song, get through, now." Octavian ordered, helping her through the hatch. "Doctor? Doctor?"

The Doctor ignored him, doing calculations in the air.

"Time can be unwritten." He murmured.

* * *

"Amy, there never was a Crispin or a Phillip on this mission, I promise you." Marco told her.

"No, I heard you." She said. "Before you sent Pedro, you sent Crispin and Phillip, and now you can't even remember them. Something happened. I don't know what, and you don't even remember!"

"Pedro?" Marco asked.

"Yeah, before you sent Pedro." Amy replied.

"Who's Pedro?" he asked.

* * *

"It's been happening and I haven't even noticed!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"Doctor, we have to move." Octavian told him.

"The CyberKing!" the Doctor realized. "A giant Cyberman walks over all of Victorian London and no-one remembers."

"We have to move it!" Octavian shouted. "The Angels could be here any second."

He put his hand on the Doctor's shoulder, but the Doctor shrugged it off.

"Never mind the Angels." He said. "There's worse here than Angels!"

The lights flickered and the Doctor turned around to find an Angel with its arm around Octavian's neck.

"I beg to differ, sir." Octavian said.

"Let him go." The Doctor ordered, using the screwdriver on the Angel.

"Well, it can't let me go, sir, not while you're looking at it." Octavian pointed out.

"I can't stop looking at it, it'll kill you." The Doctor shot back.

"It'll kill me anyway." Octavian said. "There's no way out of this. You have to leave me!"

"Can you wriggle out?" the Doctor asked.

"No, it's too tight." Octavian replied. "There's nothing you can do."

* * *

"Something's happening!" Amy insisted. "Pedro was here a second ago and now you can't even remember him!"

"There never was a Pedro." Marco told her. "There's only ever been the two of us here!"

"No, there were five of us." Amy said. "Why can't you remember?"

"Listen, listen." Marco said. "I need to get a closer look at that light, whatever it is. Don't worry, I won't get too close."

"No, you can't." Amy told him. "You mustn't."

"Here, spare communicator." He said, pressing the device into her hand. "I'll stay in touch the whole time."

"You won't." Amy told him. "If you go back there what happened to the others will happen to you!"

"There weren't any others!" Marco told her exasperated.

"There won't be any YOU if you go back there." Amy told him.

"Two minutes, I promise." He said, leaving.

"Please, just listen to me!" Amy pleaded.

She was alone.

* * *

"Sir, there's nothing you can do." Octavian told him.

"You're dead if I leave you." The Doctor replied.

"Yes, yes, I'm dead." Octavian agreed. "And before you go…"

"I'm not going!" the Doctor insisted.

"Listen to me." Octavian said. "It's important! You can't trust her."

"Trust who?" the Doctor asked.

"River Song." The Bishop replied. "You think you know her, but you don't. You don't understand who or what she is."

"Then tell me." The Doctor said.

"I've told you more than I should." Octavian said. "Now, please, you have to go. It's your duty to your friends. To your mate."

"Just tell me, why she was in Stormcage?" the Doctor asked.

"She killed a man, a good man, a hero to many." Octavian replied.

"Who?" the Doctor pressed.

"You don't want to know, sir." Octavian told him. "You really don't."

"Who did she kill?" the Doctor asked.

"Sir, the Angels are coming." Octavian said. "You have to leave me."

"You'll die." The Doctor told him.

"I will die in the knowledge that my courage did not desert me at the end." Octavian said. "For that, I thank God and bless the path that takes you to safety."

"I wish I'd known you better." The Doctor said.

"I think, sir, you know me at my best." Octavian replied.

"Ready?" the Doctor asked.

"Content." Bishop Octavian said, closing his eyes.

The Doctor ran for the hatch and closed it behind him.

A/N: I always feel bad for Octavian. He really was a good guy. Anyway, we're coming to the end of Flesh and Stone. Who can't wait for Lily to come back? I've always known when she was coming back, and even I'm excited. Let me know what you thought.

Abbey


	34. Flesh and Stone: Going Home Again

Disclaimer: If I owned Doctor Who, this would be pointless.

Ch. 34:

"There's a teleport!" River told the Doctor as the hatch closed. "If I can get it to work, we can beam the others here. Where's Octavian?"

"Octavian's dead, so is that teleport." The Doctor told her. "You're wasting your time. I'm going to need your communicator."

Without waiting for an answer, he took it from her and walked away.

* * *

"Hell, are you there?" Amy called into her radio. "Hello? Hello?"

"I'm here." Marco replied. "I'm fine. I'm quite close to it now."

"Then come back!" Amy told him. "Come back now, please."

"It's weird looking at it." Marco said. "It feels really….hchsssss."

"Really what?" Amy asked, receiving only static in reply. "Hello? Really what? Hello? Hello? Hello? Please say you're there. Hello? Hello!"

"Is that you?" the Doctor's voice came over the radio.

"Doctor?" Amy called.

"Where are you?" he asked her. "Are the clerics with you?"

"They've gone." Amy replied. "There was a light and they walked into the light. Doctor, they didn't even remember each other."

* * *

"No, they wouldn't." The Doctor said, looking down sadly.

"What is that light?" River asked.

"Time running out." He replied before raising the radio back to him mouth. "Amy, I'm sorry. I should never have left you there."

"Well what do I do now?" she asked.

"You come to us." He told her. "Primary Flight Deck, other end of the forest."

"I can't see!" Amy protested. "I can't open my eyes."

The Doctor pointed the screwdriver at the communicator.

"Turn on the spot." He told her.

"Sorry, what?" Amy asked.

"Just do it." The Doctor replied. "Turn on the spot."

* * *

"When the communicator sounds like my screwdriver, you're facing the right way." He told her. "Follow the sound."

Amy turned in a circle and listened to the difference in the sound.

"You have to start moving now." He told her. "There's time energy spilling out of that crack and you have to stay ahead of it."

"But the Angels, they're everywhere." She protested.

"I'm sorry, I really am, but the Angels can only kill you." The Doctor told her.

"What does the Time Energy do?" Amy asked as she began walking.

"Just keep moving!" he replied.

"Tell me!" she insisted.

"If the Time Energy catches up with you," he told her softly, "you'll never have been born. It will erase every moment of your existence. You will never have lived at all. Now, keep your eyes shut and keep moving!"

"It's never going to work." River told him.

"What else have you got?" the Doctor shouted at her. "River, tell me!"

* * *

Amy slowly walked along the dirt path, following the sound, searching for each step, trying not to fall.

* * *

There was a loud noise, and River looked around.

"What's that?" she asked.

"The Angels running from the fire." The Doctor replied. "They came here to feed on the time energy. Now it's going to feed on them."

He raised the communicator back to his mouth.

"Amy, listen to me." He called. "I'm sending a bit of software to your communicator. It's a proximity detector. It'll beep if there's something in your way. You just maneuver till the beeping stops. Because, Amy, this is important. The forest is full of Angels. You're going to have to walk like you can see."

"Well, what do you mean?" she demanded.

"Look, just keep moving." He told her.

"That time energy, what's it going to do?" River asked.

"Er, keep eating." The Doctor replied.

"How do we stop it?" she asked.

"Feed it." He answered simply.

"Feed it what?" she asked.

"A big complicated space-time event should shut it up for a while." He replied.

"Like what, for instance?" she pushed.

"Like me, for instance!" he shouted.

A high-pitched beeping echoed.

"What's that?" Amy asked.

"It's a warning." The Doctor replied. "There are Angels 'round you now. Amy, listen to me. This going to be hard but I know you can do it. The Angels are scared and running and right now they're not that interested in you. They'll assume you can see them and their instincts will kick in. All you've got to do is walk like you can see. Just don't open your eyes. Walk like you can see." He paused. "You're not moving. You have to do this."

* * *

Amy was currently standing between two Angels.

* * *

"Now." The Doctor told her. He slammed his hand down on the panel in front of him. "You have to do this!"

* * *

The communicator beeped slowly and as Amy turned, unknowingly towards an Angel, it got faster so she turned back the way she was facing. She slowly walked forward and turned as the beeping sped up. She changed directions and began walking again, but her foot got caught on a root and she tripped and fell, dropping the communicator. She felt around in the dirt for it, but she couldn't find it.

"Doctor, I can't find the communicator!" she called frantically. "I dropped it! I can't find it. Doctor!" She kept feeling for it. "Doctor…" The Angels began to move, realizing she couldn't see them. "Doctor! Doctor…"

She stood and turned, coming face-to-face with an Angel she couldn't see. As it reached for her, she was engulfed in a bright light.

* * *

River grabbed her and supported her as she appeared on the Flight Deck.

"Don't open your eyes." She told her quickly. "You're on the Flight Deck, the Doctor's here. I teleported you." She turned to the Doctor. "See? Told you I could get it working."

"River Song, I could bloody kiss you." He told her.

"Ah well, maybe when you're older." She replied. "And when we're far, far away from the Phoenix. Like whole universes away from her." An alarm began to blare. "What's that?"

"The Angels are draining the last of the ship's power, which means…the shield's going to release!" he told them.

The shield between them and the forest opened and they were confronted by a large number of Angels.

"Angel Bob, I presume." The Doctor said, taking a step forward.

"The Time Field is coming." Angel Bob told him. "It will destroy our reality."

"Yeah, and look at you, all running away." The Doctor replied. "What can I do for you?"

"There is a rupture in time." Angel Bob said. "The Angels calculate that if you throw yourself into it, it will close and they will be saved."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." The Doctor agreed. "Could do, could do that. But why?"

"Your friend would also be saved." Angel Bob replied.

"Well, there is that." The Doctor said.

"I've travelled in time." River said, stepping up behind him. "I'm a complicated space/time event, too. Throw me in."

"Oh, be serious!" the Doctor told her. "Compared to me, these Angels are more complicated than you and it would take every one of them to amount to me, so get a grip."

"Doctor, I can't let you do this." River protested.

"No, seriously, get a grip." The Doctor said.

"You're not going to die here!" River insisted.

"No, I mean it." The Doctor told her. "River, Amy, get a grip."

Realization dawned on River's face.

"Oh, you genius!" River said, going to Amy.

"Sir, the Angels need you to sacrifice yourself now." Angel Bob told him.

"Thing is, Bob, the Angels are draining all the power from this ship, every last bit of it." The Doctor told him. "And you know what? I think they've forgotten where they're standing. I think they've forgotten the gravity of the situation. Or, to put it another way, Angels…"

"You hold tight and don't you let go for anything." River told Amy, wrapping her hands around a handel attached to one of the panels before gripping one herself.

"Night-night." The Doctor told the Angels.

As the gravity failed due to the loss of power, the Doctor grabbed one of the handles himself. The deck turned on its side and the Doctor, Amy, and River held on as the Angels fell into the crack below them. There was a burst of light as they were all absorbed and then the crack closed.

* * *

Amy was leaning against a rock on the beach, wrapped in a blanket, while the Doctor stood next to her.

"Ah, bruised everywhere." She complained.

"Me too." The Doctor said.

"You didn't have to climb out with your eyes shut." Amy shot back.

"Neither did you, I kept saying." He told her. "The Angels all fell into the time field. The Angel in your memory never existed. It can't harm you now."

"Then why do I remember it at all?" she asked. "Those guys on the ship didn't remember each other."

"You're a time traveler now, Amy." He replied. "Changes the way you see the universe forever. Good, isn't it?"

"And the crack." Amy said. "Is that gone too?"

"Yeah, for now." The Doctor answered. "But the explosion that caused it is still happening…somewhere out there, somewhere in time."

He looked out at the ocean for a moment before walking over to River.

"You, me…handcuffs." She said, grinning as she held out her bound hands. "Must is always end this way?"

"I think Lily would prefer it did." He replied, smiling. "What now?"

"The prison ship's in orbit." She told him. "They'll beam me up any second. I might have done enough to earn a pardon this time. We'll see."

"Octavian said you killed a man." The Doctor said.

"Yes." River replied. "I did. A good man. A very good man. The best man I've ever known."

"Who?" he asked.

"It's a long story, Doctor, can't be told." She told him. "It has to be lived. No sneak previews. Well, except this one: You need to go get the Phoenix. You'll need her for the next time you see me."

"Why?" he asked. "What happens the next time I see you?"

"The Pandorica opens." She replied.

"The Pandorica, ha!" the Doctor scoffed, leaning in and lowering his voice. "That's a fairy tale."

"Oh, Doctor, aren't we all?" River said, laughing. "I'll see you there."

"I look forward to it." He told her, smiling.

"I remember it well." She said.

The Doctor chuckled and walked away.

"Bye, River." Amy said, walking up to the woman.

"See you, Amy." River replied as her cuffs beeped. "Oh! I think that's my ride."

"Can I trust you, River Song?" the Doctor asked.

"If you like." She replied. "But where's the fun in that?"

She laughed as she was teleported away.

The Doctor turned and looked out at the ocean.

"What are you thinking?" Amy asked him.

"Time can be rewritten." He replied.

* * *

The Doctor was at the console while Amy sat on the jump seat.

"I want to go home." She told him.

"Okay." The Doctor replied quietly.

Amy smiled and joined him at the console.

"No, not like that!" she told him. "I just…I just want to show you something. You're running from the Phoenix. From River. I'm running too."

* * *

The Doctor and Amy sat on Amy's bed with the TARDIS parked in the corner. In front of them, hanging from the closet door, was Amy's wedding gown.

"Well!" the Doctor said.

"Yeah!" Amy replied.

"Blimey!" he exclaimed.

"I know." She agreed. "This is the same night we left, yeah?"

"We've been gone five minutes." The Doctor told her, glancing at his watch.

Amy leaned over and grabbed a box, opening it to reveal her ring.

"I'm getting married in the morning." She told him.

"Why did you leave it here?" he asked, taking the box.

"Why did I leave my engagement ring when I ran away with a strange man the night before my wedding?" Amy asked.

"Yeah." The Doctor replied.

"You really are an alien, aren't you?" she marveled.

"Who's the lucky fella?" the Doctor asked.

"You met him." Amy told him.

"Ah, the good looking one or the other one?" the Doctor asked, miming a big nose.

"The other one." Amy replied.

"Well, he was good too." The Doctor said.

"Thanks." Amy told him. "So, do you comfort a lot of people on the night before their wedding?"

"Why would you need comforting?" he asked, confused.

"I nearly died." She told him. "I was alone in the dark and I nearly died. And it made me think."

"Well, yes, natural." The Doctor agreed. "I think sometimes. Well, lots of times…"

"About what I want." Amy interrupted. "About who I want. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah…" the Doctor said. "No."

"About who…I want." Amy said slowly.

"Oh, right, yeah…" the Doctor said. "No, still not getting it."

"Doctor, in a word, in one very simple word even you can understand…" Amy said before practically climbing on top of him.

"Uh…!" the Doctor said, pushing her away and climbing over the foot of the bed. "You're getting married in the morning!"

"The morning's a long time away." Amy replied, walking around and pushing him against the TARDIS. "What are we going to do about that?" She pulled his braces down.

"Listen to me." He told her, pulling them back up. "I'm 907 years old. Do you understand what that means?" he asked, pushing away.

"It's been awhile?" Amy asked.

"No, not really." He replied. "No! I'm 907, and look at me. I don't get older, I just change. You get older. I don't, and this can't ever work. Plus I have a mate, who I love, waiting for me."

"And I have a fiancé." Amy replied. "And you are sweet, Doctor, but I wasn't really suggesting anything quite so…long term."

Without waiting for another word, she pulled him into a kiss, but he quickly pushed her away.

"But you're human!" he protested. "You're Amy! You're getting married in the morning! In the morning!"

"Doctor?" Amy asked, pulling away.

"It's you." The Doctor realized. "It's all about you. Everything. It's about you."

"Hold that thought!" Amy said, going to lie on her bed.

"Amy Pond…" The Doctor said, leaning on the railing at the foot of the bed. "Mad, impossible Amy Pond. I don't know why, I have no idea, but quite possibly the single most important thing in the history of the universe is that I get you sorted out right now."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Amy said.

"Come on!" the Doctor said, pulling her off the bed and into the TARDIS.

"Doctor!" she said flirtily.

He just pushed her inside. He turned and glanced at the clock on the table.

_11:59_

_12:00_

A/N: So Flesh and Stone is done and next chapter we go pick up Rory and Lily. Can't wait! Let me know what you thought. Also, for those of you who might be interested, I have two new stories: a one shot for Syfy's Haven and the beginning of a new story for The Vampire Diaries. If either of those interest you, go check 'em out!

Abbey


	35. Vampires in Venice: Reunion

Disclaimer: Please, like I'm going to bother with this when writing the most important chapter I have ever written.

Ch. 35:

Rory sat in a bar with his mates, at his stag night, on the phone, calling Amy.

"Hey…!" he said when the answering machine picked up, trying to talk over the noise. "It's me! Hello! How are you? The reason for this call is because I haven't told you for seven hours that I love you, which is a scandal, and even if we weren't getting married tomorrow, I'd ask you to marry me anyway. Yes I would, because you are smashing."

Behind him, a large cake was being wheeled in and 'The Stripper' began to play. His friends poked him and he turned, still on the phone.

"Oh…" he said. "Oh. Oh, blimey. I've…I've…I-I-I….I'll see you tomorrow."

He quickly hung up.

"Out!" the guys began to chant. "Out! Out!"

The top of the cake burst open and the Doctor appeared. The music kept going, but the men were silent, staring at the Doctor as Rory shook his head in disbelief.

"Rory!" the Doctor exclaimed. "That's a relief. I thought I'd burst out of the wrong cake. Again. That reminds me, there's a girl outside in a bikini. Could someone let her in, give her a jumper? Lucy, lovely girl. Diabetic. Now, then. Rory. We need to talk about your fiancé. She tried to kiss me." Everyone gasped, but he just kept going. "Tell you what, though. You're a lucky man-she's a great kisser." Someone dropped a glass and the Doctor thought about that last statement. "Funny how you can say something in your head and it _sounds_ fine…"

* * *

The Doctor was in a harness seat underneath the console floor, doing some welding work, as Rory stood above him and Amy paced.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "The life out there, it dazzles. I mean, it blinds you to the things that are important. I've seen it devour relationships and plans…"

Rory looked down nervously as the TARDIS experienced a small explosion.

"Ohh!" the Doctor said. "Its' meant to do that." He resumed his original statement. "…because for one person to have seen all that, to taste the glory and then go back, it _will_ tear you apart. So…I'm sending you somewhere. Together."

"Whoa!" Amy exclaimed. "What, like a date?"

"Anywhere you want, any time you want." He told them, walking up the steps to join them at the console. "One condition-it has to be amazing. The Moulin Rouge in 1890! The first Olympic Games! Think of it as a wedding present, because, frankly, it's either this or tokens."

He took in Rory's stunned expression and slowed down. Marginally.

"It's a lot to take in, isn't it?" he asked the man as he headed up a set of stairs. "Tiny box, huge room inside. What's that about? Let me explain."

"It's another dimension." Rory replied.

The Doctor turned and headed back down the stairs.

"It's basically another dimen-What?" he asked, catching up.

"After Prisoner Zero, I've been reading up on all the latest scientific theories;" Rory told him, "FTL travel, parallel universes."

"I like the bit when someone says, 'It's bigger on the inside'!" the Doctor pouted. "I always look forward to that."

"So, this date." Amy said. "I'm kind of done with running down corridors. What do you think, Rory?"

"How about somewhere…romantic?" the Doctor asked. "But first, there's someone else we need to pick up. And this is where it gets tricky."

"Why?" Amy asked.

"Because I have to convince a very annoyed person not to kill me." The Doctor replied.

* * *

Amy looked around as she and Rory followed the Doctor out.

"This Cardiff." She said. "Why are we in Cardiff?"

"Because this is where the person we're looking for is." The Doctor replied, leading them down a road.

"What was that stuff you sprayed on for?" Amy asked him.

"It keeps me from being noticed." The Doctor replied.

He led them to a bar with a sign outside announcing that Open Mic night was tonight.

The Doctor smiled.

"She's always loved to sing." He murmured.

The door opened and they could hear a woman singing.

"_I've taken too much, given up/ I am twisted, burning, breaking up/ I need to find a way of letting it go/ When everything falls apart/ I could try, but I'd never take it/ Yell and I will never be heard/ You will be my phoenix burn/ I could run, but I'd never reach it/ Leave and I might never return/ You will be my phoenix burn/ Let me burn..."_

"Doctor, that song…" Amy said as they followed him in.

Up on the stage was a young woman, dressed all in black, with blonde hair dyed black at the tips. She held a guitar in her hands and the audience applauded when she finished the song, but the loudest claps were coming from a table with a young woman holding a baby, the man next to her who was making faces at the baby, a young black couple, and a red head, holding the hand of a young black man.

"Thanks." The woman on the stage said, smiling. "I just have one more piece for you guys. I hope you like it."

"Doctor…" Amy sputtered. "That woman…she's the one from your pictures."

"Yeah, I may have lied about the pictures." The Doctor said, his eyes not moving from the woman. "The once of the woman with black hair, the woman with blonde hair, and the man with spiked brown hair are me and her."

Amy noticed the red head at the table stiffen while the woman sang and she turned and glanced at them.

"What do you mean they're of you and her?" Amy demanded.

"I told you." The Doctor replied. "I don't age, I change. That's what I used to look like, now I look like this."

"But who is she?" Amy asked.

"Let's give another hand to the Phoenix!" a man said as the woman walked back to her table.

"The Phoenix?" Amy gasped. "That's the Phoenix?"

The Doctor didn't say anything, he just watched as the group gathered up their things and The Phoenix kissed the red head's cheek and said goodbye before the rest of the group left, leaving her and the man at her side.

"I may have made a slight miscalculation." The Doctor said, gulping. "We need to go."

He turned and started to walk away.

"If you keep going, I don't care how many regenerations you have, I will kill you." The red head said, coming up behind him.

"Donna." He said, turning around, smiling. "It's great to see you again."

Donna smiled before punching him in the face.

"How dare you!" she seethed. "How dare you show your face here!"

"Donna!" the Doctor exclaimed. "I think you broke my nose!"

"I'm gonna break more than that." Donna threatened. "Did have any idea what you've done? The pain you've caused? You broke her! Between you and Jenny, I wasn't sure she was ever going to smile again!"

The Doctor froze at the mention of Jenny.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded.

Donna's hand flew to her mouth.

"Oh, god, Doctor." She said. "I forgot you didn't know."

"What don't I know?" he demanded.

"Jenny's alive." She told him softly.

The Doctor staggered back and leaned against a bar stool.

"That's not possible." He said. "I watched her die. I held her in my arms."

"I know." Donna replied. "But she was here. Lily isn't sure if it was a form of regeneration, or the teraforming, or what, but somehow, she came back. Crash landed here a few months ago after getting her hands on a Vortex Manipulator." Donna glared at him now. "But it turns out she is just like her father. Left her mother a letter just like him when she left."

"You have a daughter?" Amy asked, shocked.

Donna looked at her and smirked.

"See it didn't take you long to find another ginger." She said.

"But no one could ever replace you." The Doctor told her, smiling softly.

"Damn straight." She replied before sighing. "Just tell me you're here to grovel. That you're here to take her home."

"I'll do whatever it takes." The Doctor promised.

"You better." Donna sighed. "I'm going home. Tell her I say goodbye and that she needs to remember to call."

"I will." The Doctor promised.

"I'm glad you're okay." Donna told him seriously.

He nodded and she took Shawn's hand and led him out.

"What now?" Amy asked.

"We hope Lily doesn't kill me." The Doctor replied.

He led them out of the bar and back to where the TARDIS was parked.

Or had been parked.

The Doctor stared at the spot for a moment.

"Where did the TARDIS go?" Amy demanded.

The Doctor growled and walked off towards the bay, and Amy and Rory followed. He led them into a storefront and through a secret door and down through a circular door.

The Doctor stalked into the Hub, and Amy and Rory followed behind him, confused. He started to walk towards Lily, who was sitting cross-legged on the couch, working on paperwork, only to be brought short by the other black man from the bar pointing a gun at his head.

"Lower the gun, Mickey." Lily said in a bored tone, not even looking up.

"Sorry, but I'm under orders." Mickey replied.

"Who's?" Lily asked, looking up as her eyes flashed.

"Donna's." the man replied.

"Would it help to know she already punched me?" the Doctor asked.

"Sorry, Doctor." Mickey replied. "My orders are to detain you by any means necessary and notify Donna."

"And my orders supersede Donna's." Lily said. "So I repeat, lower the gun."

Mickey hesitated and Lily sighed.

"Mickey, who are you more afraid of?" she asked him.

"Depends on the day." Mickey replied with a grin.

"Be that as it may," Lily said, smiling slightly, "I'm ordering you to lower the gun before I do it for you."

Mickey lowered the gun and Lily went back to her work without glancing at the Doctor as he marched up to her.

"You took my TARDIS." He said crossly.

"You parked it on my Hub." She replied, still not looking up.

"You couldn't just leave it there?" he asked her, exasperated.

"No." she replied.

She shut the folder and finally looked at him. He was surprised by the lack of emotion in her eyes.

"As head of Torchwood 3, I ask that you complete your business in Cardiff as quickly as possible and depart soon after." She told him professionally.

"I'm here to bring you home." He said softly.

Anger flashed in her eyes before the mask descended again.

"I am home." She replied. "So, job done. Have a nice life."

She gathered up her things and started to walk towards her office.

"Lily." He said, reaching out to grab her arm.

"Don't!" she cried, trying to pull away, but it was too late.

The bond snapped back into place and the Doctor staggered under the weight of her pain.

"Oh my god." He whispered. "Lily, I'm so-"

"Don't you dare!" she screamed at him, her fist slamming into his cheek. "Don't you dare say you're sorry!"

She slammed her other fist into his face, her folders forgotten on the floor.

* * *

Amy tired to move to the Doctor, but Martha, who had just joined them, stopped her.

"Let me go!" Amy demanded.

"Believe me." Martha told her. "Between them is never a safe place to be. It's even worse when one of them is pissed, and Lily is very angry."

* * *

Lily hit the Doctor again.

"You left me!" she screamed at him. "For six months! You left me and you ran! I needed you! I needed my mate and you ran! You bastard! You swore! You swore you'd come back, you son of a bitch! You swore and you still left me!"

She tried to hit him again, but he grabbed her, pulling her to him and holding her tight even as she fought him.

"I sorry." He whispered even as she struggled against him. "I'm so sorry."

Finally, they sank to the floor as Lily succumbed to sobs, still beating her fists weakly against him.

"I'm sorry." He continued to whisper. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

"How could you do this to me?" she cried, tears streaming down her face. "How could you leave me when I needed you most? I lost everything, in one moment my entire world was gone! Again!"

"Nothing I say can make up for what I did." He told her softly. "All I can do is try to make it right again. Come back to the TARDIS. Come home."

"I can't." she replied. "I made a new home, here. I can't leave when they need me. Something's happening. I won't leave them to face it alone."

"What's happening?" The Doctor asked her.

"Cracks are appearing." Lily replied. "Cracks in time. I've had to shut down five sections of the city just because of them. And they're not just localized to here. They've somehow removed the Dalek attack on Earth from history, because no one outside the time travelers remembers it." She hesitated. "And we've received a warning."

"What warning?" he demanded.

"The Pandorica will open and silence will fall." She told him. "But that can't possibly be true. The Pandorica is a myth, a story my brother told me to scare me when I was little."

"And yet River says she was there when it opened." He told her.

"River?" Lily questioned, her tone making him wince. "Professor River Song? You saw her again?"

"Doctor River Song this time." The Doctor told her meekly.

"I take it this was earlier in the time line, then?" she asked.

"Wreak of the Byzantine." He replied, nodding. "She bitched me out for leaving you behind. Mainly because she didn't have your powers at her disposal."

Lily pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Please tell me I don't owe you coming back to River song." She told him.

Before he could stop it, a vision of Amy kissing him flashed through his mind and Lily stiffened.

"She was confused." He said quickly. "This whole thing, the cracks, all of it, it has something to do with her. So I went to pick up her fiancé and then came here for you. I was going to take them some place romantic. And I…"

He trailed off.

"And you what?" Lily pushed.

"I didn't want to be without you any longer." He finished. "I don't wanna run anymore. Not from you."

Lily sighed and pulled away from him, getting to her feet.

"Lily, please." He said, following her.

"It's not that simple." She told him sharply. "Not that easy. You can't just waltz back and expect all to be forgiven. I don't…I don't trust you."

They all saw the pain that flashed across the Doctor's face at that statement.

"Yeah, well you can't fix that by staying here, babe." An American voice said.

"Jack." Lily breathed, running to her brother and throwing herself into his open arms.

"Hey there." He said, hugging her tightly. "The Doctor said you needed me. Sorry it took so long to get back."

"I'm so sorry." Lily whispered, holding him just as tightly. "I'm so sorry for everything."

"Hey." He said, pulling away. "It wasn't your fault. No matter what I said."

Lily buried herself back in Jack's embrace as he looked over her head to the Doctor.

"Jack." The Time Lord said, nodding.

"Doctor." The man said, returning the nod.

"Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Amy demanded.

Lily held very still, but then the Doctor coughed and second later they both lost it.

"Every single time." Lily said through her laughter. "When we met Donna."

"When we met Martha." The Doctor agreed. "And Gwen asked it too."

"What?" Jack asked, confused.

"Every time we meet someone new," Lily told him, "every single time, we prompt that question."

"Hey!" Martha groused. "In my defense, the hospital I was working in had just been transported to the moon! I was understandably upset."

"Yeah, well Donna had just been ripped from her wedding and dumped into the TARDIS." Lily shot back. "Then she watched me have a flashback and almost kill us all. I'm not saying the question isn't justified, just over used."

"Lily." The Doctor interrupted softly, trying her bring her back on topic. "What's your answer?"

Lily looked between the Doctor and Jack, Martha, and Mickey. Martha, seeing her indecision, walked up to her and wrapped her friend in a hug.

"Go with him." She told Lily. "You're not happy here, and you never will be. You belong with him."

"Martha…" Lily said softly.

"Go." The woman pushed.

Lily sighed.

"Tell Donna I'll call her when I get a chance." She told her friend.

The Doctor smiled and reached out to her, but she pulled away.

"I can't." she whispered. "I…Just give me time."

He smiled softly.

"We're Time Lords." He told her. "All we have is time."

She smiled weakly and took a deep breath.

"So, where to?" she asked.

* * *

Lily stepped into the TARDIS and the lights suddenly got brighter and they could all hear a low humming.

"What's happening?" Amy asked.

"The TARDIS is welcoming her home." The Doctor said.

He watched as Lily walked forward, a serene smile on her face, her eyes closed as a gold light flowed around her.

"I missed you, too, girl." She said softly.

She opened her eyes and walked up to the console, touching it gently. She spotted the album and gently picked it up.

"I left everything where it was for the most part." The Doctor told her softly. "Well, when I say left, I mean put back, but it's all there."

Lily nodded and reached into her pocket, pulling out a photo.

"Can I?" he asked.

She nodded and handed it to him. It was her and Jenny at Donna's wedding, smiling, with their arms wrapped around each other.

"She's really alive." He said softly. "Donna told me, but I didn't want to believe it."

"She's her father's daughter." Lily said. "Can't stay in one place to save her soul. But she's happy and she keeps in touch. I thought my hearts might just burst when I found her again."

"Yeah." The Doctor said.

He reached over gave the picture back to her, and she gently slipped it into album.

"Lily…" he said softly.

There was a sound and Lily looked at the console curiously. Something rose out one of the panels and she took it out.

It was a sonic screwdriver. It looked like the Doctor's old one, except it was black and the light was green.

"Oh, good God." The Doctor moaned.

"Ha!" Lily said in his face. "She loves me more than you!"

For a second it was like nothing had changed, just the two of them, in the TARDIS, traveling the stars. But then it was gone and Lily looked away.

"So, shall we get this show on the road?" the Doctor said, moving away.

Lily reached over and pulled a lever as the Doctor imputed the coordinates.

A/N: So what did you think? Did that satisfy you? Let me know!

Abbey


	36. Vampires in Venice: Vampires?

Disclaimer: Please, I barely own the DVDs of Doctor Who.

Ch. 36:

The Doctor walked out of the TARDIS and into a busy market.

"Venice!" he said, throwing his arms wide. "Venezia! La Serenissima!"

"I see this regeneration still has an unnatural obsession with the Italian language." Lily said, leaning on the TARDIS door after she shut it as Amy and Rory looked around in amazement. She was dressed in black slacks, a black t-shirt, and a long black coat, and her hair was pulled up in a severe pony tail.

"Hush." The Doctor said before continuing. "Impossible city. Preposterous city! Founded by refugees running from Attila the Hun."

"I still owe him money." Lily interjected.

"It was just a collection of little wooden huts in the marsh, but became one of the most powerful cities in the world." The Doctor continued as he led them off. "Constantly being invaded, constantly flooding…constantly…Just beautiful! Oh, you gotta love Venice. And so many people did. Byron, Napoleon, Casanova. Oooh, that reminds me."

"Calm down." Lily said as he checked his watch. "It's 1580. You still have 145 years. I'll never understood why you took that bet. Where did you think you were going to get a chicken from?"

"You owe Casanova a chicken?" Rory asked.

"Long story." The Doctor said.

"He bet Casanova that he could get more favors from woman in ten minutes." Lily told the two humans. "Casanova got thirty, the Doctor got two. One from me and one from a fifty year old spinster."

"You just have to tell that story?" the Doctor complained.

"You left me for six months." Lily shot back. "If you don't think I'm going to trot out ever embarrassing story I can, you are sadly mistaken."

"Fair enough." The Doctor said as a man dressed in black stepped out in front of him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" the man said. "Papers, if you please. Proof of residency, current bill of medical inspection."

"There you go, fella." The Doctor said, holding up the psychic paper. "All to your satisfaction, I think you'll find."

The man took the paper and almost dropped it.

"I'm so sorry, your Royal Highness." He said, bowing deeply to Lily. "I didn't realize.

"It's no trouble." Lily replied. "Do you mind?"

She motioned to the paper and the man handed it to her.

"Really?" she asked the Doctor. "I know you're trying to suck up, but don't you think Princess is going a bit far?"

"First thing that popped into my head." He told her, grinning. "So, now, it's no trouble, my good man, you were just doing your job. Sorry, what exactly is your job?"

"Checking for aliens, visitors from foreign lands what might bring the plague with them." The man replied.

"Oh, that's nice." Amy muttered. "See where you bring me?" She slapped the Doctor's arm. "The plague!"

"Don 't worry, Viscountess." The man told her, bowing. "No, we're under quarantine here, no-one comes in, no-one goes out, and all because of the grace and wisdom of our patron, Signora Rosanna Calvierri."

He pointed to the crest on the box he was carrying.

"That's interesting." Lily said, looking at the crest closely. "I heard the plague died out years ago."

"Not out there." The man replied. "No, Signora Calvierri has seen it with her own eyes. Streets are piled high with bodies, she said."

"Did she, now?" the Doctor murmured.

As the man moved off, Rory reached for the psychic paper.

"According to this, I am your eunuch!" he sputtered as The Doctor and Lily moved off.

"Oh, yeah, I'll explain later." Amy told him.

Lily reached up and slapped the Doctor across the head.

* * *

The Doctor and Lily led Amy and Rory through the seat and stopped at a spot where they could see a group of girls, dressed in white with parasols, were emerging from a house. As they watched, a man ran into the procession.

"What do you want?" one of the women leading the girls demanded.

"Where's my Isabella?" the man demanded, ripping the veils off girls as he went.

"What are you doing?" the woman demanded. "Get away from there!"

"Isabella!" the man called, continuing his search. "Isabella!"

He found the girl he was looking for, but she back away.

"It's me!" he told her.

One of the other girls came forward and hissed at him, revealing two rows of fangs. The man fell to the ground.

"Girls, come along!" the woman called.

The girls continued their procession and a booted foot landed on the man's chest, keeping him on the ground.

"She's gone." The man attached the boot said before leaving with a swirl of his cloak.

"Isabella!" the man called. "It's me!"

Two guards lifted him from the ground.

"What was that about?" Amy asked.

The Doctor left and Lily was already a head of him.

"Isabella…" the man called.

Amy looked around to find Lily and the Doctor gone.

"I hate it when he does that!" she complained.

* * *

The Doctor and Lily made their way through the streets in silence. Finally, the Doctor couldn't take it anymore.

"This fun, right?" he asked, stopping. "You and me, running? This is what it's supposed to be."

Lily stopped and turned to look at him.

"Do you really think this is going to fix what's wrong?" she demanded.

"Well, I-" the Doctor said.

"I'm mad at you, do you get that?" she said angrily. "I'm hurt and I'm confused and I'm mad! You left me alone and I didn't know if you were alive or dead, and it hurt! It hurt so bad that some days, I just wanted to curl up and not move again until I woke up from the nightmare."

"I said I was sorry." He told her.

"You just don't get it." Lily said, shaking her head. "Sorry doesn't fix this. It doesn't make it alright. It doesn't change the fact that when I look at you, all I can see is my own anger."

"Then tell me how to fix it." The Doctor said, taking her hand, but she pulled away. "Tell me what to do, what to say, and I'll do it, I'll say it. Tell me what to do to make this right again."

"I'm not sure there's anything you can do." Lily whispered, looking away.

She walked away and stood with her back to him.

"Then where does that leave us?" the Doctor asked.

"I don't know." Lily replied.

She sighed and shoved her hands in her pockets before turning and glancing at him.

"Come on." She said softly. "Let's go see what that guy was up to."

The Doctor nodded and they walked in silence again.

* * *

The man walked along the alleys until the Doctor crossed behind him and leapt onto the bottom step of a stair way. Lily went and leaned against the wall of the stair.

"Who were those girls?" the Doctor asked the man.

"I thought everyone knew about the Calvierri school." The man said, staring at them.

"We're new here." Lily told the man, walking towards him as the Doctor stepped down. "You know, parents do all sorts of things to get their children into good schools. They move house, they change religion, hell, my adoptive parents built a new wing for my school. So, why are you trying to get her out?"

"Something happens in there." The man told them. "Something magical, something evil. My own daughter didn't recognize me. And the girl who pushed me away, her face…like an animal."

The Doctor wrapped his arm around the man's shoulder.

"I think it's time I met this Signora Calvierri." He said.

"You're daughter's name is Isabella, right?" Lily asked gently as the Doctor led them off. "So what's yours?"

"Guido." The man replied.

"Nice to meet you, Guido." Lily said, smiling. "I'm the Phoenix and this is the Doctor. We're going to help you get your daughter back."

"Why?" the man asked.

Lily smiled sadly.

"Because no one should be separated from their children." She replied.

* * *

Amy and Rory walked through a narrow passage.

"And what have you been doing?" Rory asked.

"Well…running." Amy replied. "And fighting. I've been scared. More scared than I thought was…"

"Did you miss me?" he asked.

"I…I knew I'd be coming back." Amy answered unconvincingly.

"He was right." Rory said, stopping. "It blots out everything else."

"Rory…this our date." Amy said, linking her arm through his. "Let's not do this, not now."

There was a fluttering sound and Rory looked up.

"Ha!" he exclaimed. "We are in Venice and it's 1580!"

"I know!" Amy said, laughing.

They both laughed as they walked off, arm in arm, pass a stairway, not noticing the man underneath.

Amy stopped and posed in front of a doorway and Rory kneeled to take a picture with his phone. There was a scream and Amy took off running.

"What was that?" Rory called, running after her.

They arrived to find the man that had held the father down with his boot hunched over a girl. He lifted his head and they saw blood on her neck. The man opened his mouth, revealing fangs, before running past them, holding his cape in front of his face.

Rory ran to the girl.

"She'll be okay." He said. "Where are you…Amy! Come back!"

Amy had taken off after the man. She chased him all the way to the canal, but when she reached the dead end, he was gone.

* * *

Guido approached the guards of the school.

"You have my daughter." He called. "Isabella!"

"You're not coming in, stop there!" the guard said. "We've told you…"

While Guido distracted the guards, Lily and the Doctor sneaked along the side of the building.

"You have my daughter!" Guido repeated. "Isabella! I demand you let me see my daughter!"

The Doctor pulled out his screwdriver, but Lily already had hers out and smirked at him as she opened the gate.

"Isabella!" Guido yelled. "It's me! It's your father!"

"I'll arrest you…" the guard threatened.

"Isabella!" Guido shouted.

Finally, when he saw that they were through, Guido left.

The Doctor and Lily made their way down a set of stone stairs into a chamber. On one wall there was a mirror and the Doctor turned to face it while Lily stood behind him.

He studied her in the mirror.

"You look different." He said.

"It's been six months." Lily shot back.

"We're Time Lords." He replied. "It wouldn't matter if it had been six month or six centuries."

"Yeah, well, the last six months have been hard." Lily said.

"I really am sorry." He told her, looking at her in the mirror. "I don't know what else to say."

Lily studied him.

"If Amy hadn't kissed you." She said. "If River hadn't told you to, would you still have come back?"

The Doctor hesitated.

"Yes." He said softly. "I would have."

He took a deep breath before continuing.

"I really thought I was doing the right thing." He told her. "I thought I would keeping you safe. I thought that if I wasn't around, then you wouldn't get hurt. I couldn't hurt you anymore."

"All your leaving did was hurt me." She told him.

"I know." He replied. "And it hurt me to leave you. But I thought it would be better. But then it became apparent, I don't function as well without you. I miss things that you would've seen. I need you. I need you, so much."

The Doctor turned around to face her and froze.

"Well at least I'm not the only one who missed this." He said, nodding behind her.

Lily spun around and found a group of girls, dressed in white, standing behind them.

"Who are you?" the girls asked in unison.

The Doctor turned to look at the mirror, which only showed him and Lily, and then back to the girls. He kept looking back and forth as Lily back up to him.

"How are you doing that?" the Doctor demanded. "I…am…loving it! You're like Houdini, only five scary girls, only he was shorter. WILL BE shorter. I'm rambling."

"Yes, you are." Lily agreed.

"I'll ask you again, signor, signora." The girls said in unison. "Who are you?"

"Why don't you check THIS out?" the Doctor said, brandishing a wallet.

Lily looked at it and covered her face with her hand. The Doctor pulled it back to see a picture of his first incarnation.

"Library card." He said as he put it away. "Of course, it's with…He's…I need the spare."

"What you need is a brain." Lily muttered.

"Pale, creepy girls who don't like sunlight and can't be seen in…" the Doctor said, glancing back at the mirror. "Am I thinking what I think I'm thinking?"

"You can't be thinking what I'm thinking." Lily said. "Because if you're thinking what I'm thinking, then I'm thinking we're both insane."

"But the city." The Doctor continued. "Why shut down the city? Unless…."

"Leave now, signor, or we shall call for the steward…if you are lucky." The girls said, smirking.

"Ooh!" the Doctor said.

"Now see here." Lily said. "You better not be thinking of doing what I think you're thinking of doing!"

"Lily?" the Doctor asked.

"What?" she demanded.

"Stop talking." He replied.

"Right." She said.

The girls hissed and bared their fangs as they advanced on the couple. They both turn and ran to the doorway, but the Doctor stopped and turned back to face them.

"Tell me the whole plan!" he ordered.

They just kept coming.

"One day, that'll work." He muttered.

"I wouldn't hold your breath." Lily told him.

"Listen, I would love to stay here." the Doctor said, Lily grabbing his hand and pulling him up the stairs. "This whole thing…I'm thrilled. Oh, this is Christmas!"

Lily tugged on his hand and they both ran up the stairs as the girls hissed after them.

* * *

Lily and the Doctor met Amy ask she ran along the canal across from the school.

"Doctor!" Amy yelled.

"We just met some vampires!" The Doctor exclaimed. "And creepy girls and everything!"

"We just saw a vampire!" Amy said at the same moment. "Vampires!"

They jumped up and down together as Lily stared at them and Rory joined them.

"We think we just saw a vampire." He said.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." The Doctor said. "Amy was just telling me."

"Oh." Rory said. "Right. Well…"

"You alright, Rory?" Lily asked, smiling slightly.

"I'm fine." The man said.

"Okay, so…" the Doctor said, slapping his hands on Rory's cheeks, "first we need to get back in there somehow."

"What?" Rory demanded.

"How do we do that?" Amy asked.

"You want to go back?" Lily exclaimed.

"Come and meet our new friend." The Doctor told Amy and Rory.

* * *

Guido brought out a map of Venice and the Doctor and Amy stood with him, looking at it, while Rory sat on some barrels behind them. Lily came over and sat next to him.

"You sure you're okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I mean, it's just…it's vampires. In Venice." He said.

She chuckled.

"I know." Lily said. "Believe it or not, I once felt just like you."

"But you're like him." Rory said, nodding to the Doctor. "A Time Lord."

"Yeah, but I also spent some time as a human, with my memories locked away." Lily told him. "When I first began to travel with the Doctor, it felt like my whole world had exploded. Like suddenly, nothing I knew was real."

"How long have you been traveling with the Doctor?" Rory asked.

"This Doctor?" Lily replied. "About four years."

"What do you mean, this Doctor?" Rory asked.

Lily sighed.

"How much do you know about parallel universes?" she asked him.

"I know that there are an infinite amount of universe, both similar and dissimilar to our own, existing right next to our own." He replied.

Lily smiled and nodded.

"That's very good." She told him. "I'm impressed. Well, I was born in one of those universes."

"Then how did you get here?" he asked.

"The Doctor I traveled with there, sent me to this universe to save my life." Lily replied bitterly. "Hasn't turned out quite like I'd hoped."

"Are you in love with the Doctor?" Rory asked.

"Are you in love with Amy?" Lily shot back.

"Yes." Rory replied. "I'm just not sure she's in love with me. Your turn."

"Yes." Lily sighed. "I am in love with him. And it sucks."

"Welcome to the club." Rory told her, shaking her hand.

Lily laughed.

"We could have jackets." She joked.

"Are you two paying attention?" the Doctor called.

"No." Lily replied. "Does it matter?"

"I could use your advice." He told her.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have left me on Earth." She shot back.

"Can you just…please?" he asked quietly.

She sighed and went to stand next to him.

"As you say, there's no clear way in." Guido told them. "The House of Calvierri is like a fortress. But there's a tunnel underneath it, with a ladder and shaft that leads up into the house. I tried to get in once myself, but I hit a trapdoor."

"You need someone on the inside." Amy said.

"No." The Doctor answered immediately.

"You don't even know what I was going to say!" Amy protested.

"We pretend you're an applicant for the school to get you inside and tonight you come down and open the trapdoor to let us in." the Doctor said.

"Oh." Amy replied. "So you know what I was going to say!"

"Are you insane?" Rory demanded.

"We don't have another option." Amy said.

"He said no, Amy." Her fiancé told her. "Listen to him."

"There is another option." Guido said, pointing in Rory's direction. "I work at the Arsenal. We build the warships for the navy."

The Doctor walked over and sniffed the barrels.

"Gunpowder." He said, putting a hand on Rory's shoulder. "Most people just nick stationery from where they work."

Rory slid off the barrel slowly and walked away quickly.

"Look, I have a thing about guns and huge quantities of explosives." The Doctor said.

"What do you suggest, then?" the man demanded. "We wait until they turn her into an animal?"

He turned away and poked at the fire.

"I'll be there three, four hours tops." Amy said.

"No, no, no, no, no, no." the Doctor said, sitting on the bed in the room.

"Send me with her." Lily spoke up.

The Doctor stared at her.

"How is that any better?" he demanded.

"They can only focus on one of us at a time." She told him. "I'll make sure it's me and Amy will go and let you in. They can't hurt me. It's perfect."

"And what if they realize you're Time Lord, huh?" he asked. "What happens then?"

Lily threw out her hand and there was a roar as the barrels exploded inside a gold bubble. Everyone jumped except for the Doctor, who's eyes stayed locked on Lily's. Suddenly, she twisted her hand and the explosion reversed itself, leaving all the barrels intact.

"You done?" the Doctor asked.

"I can protect myself." She told him coldly. "A lot's changed in the last six months. I'm a lot stronger than I used to be."

"Fine." He relented. "We'll go together. I'll say you're my daughters."

"We look the same age." Lily shot back. "You're our brother."

"Too weird." Amy said, glaring at her. "He can be your brother, my fiancé."

"I'm not having him run around telling people he's your fiancé." Rory protested.

"Especially since he's my mate!" Lily added.

"No." Amy relented. "No, you're right."

"Thank you." Rory said.

"I mean, they've already seen the Doctor and the Phoenix." Amy said. "It should be just me and you can get me in."

"Me?" Rory asked.

"Yeah!" Amy said. "You can be my brother."

She rubbed his head playfully.

"Why is him being your brother weird, but with me, it's okay?" Rory demanded.

"Actually, I thought you _were_ her fiancé." Guido told the Doctor.

"Yeah, that's not helping." The Doctor said as Lily growled.

"You're not going without me." Lily said. "I'm not sending a weak human into there alone."

"And what are you going to do if they recognize you?" Amy demanded, bristling at the weak comment.

"They won't." Lily replied.

She reached up and pulled down her hair. She shook it out and as she shook it, it changed from blonde with black tips to a red a few shades darker than Amy's.

"When did you put nanites in your hair?" the Doctor asked.

"During that trip to Venus before…." She trailed off. "While we were running. It was easier than dyeing it all the time."

"Ah." The Doctor said.

"This whole thing is mental!" Rory exclaimed. "They're _Vampires,_ for God's sake."

"We hope." The Doctor said.

"So if they're not vampires…?" Amy asked.

"Makes you wonder," Lily said, sitting next to the Doctor, "what could be so bad it doesn't actually mind us thinking it's a vampire?"

A/N: Second chapter of Vampires in Venice. Let me know what you think. I would also like to take a moment to thank all of you who review. You guys totally make my day! Why do you think I update so much?

Abbey


	37. Vampires in Venice: Not Vampires

Disclaimer: I'm planning a global take over, so it will just be a matter of time until the Doctor is mine.

Ch. 37:

Amy and Lily flanked Rory as they stood in front of Signora's Calvierri. Rory was wearing Guido's clothes and Amy and Lily were wearing some of Isabella's old clothes.

_Will you let me in?_ Lily heard the Doctor asked.

Lily sighed and opened her mind to him.

_Do not think I am doing this for any other reason than to keep Amy and Rory safe._ She told him.

_Understood._ He replied, looking through her eyes. _Good to see your speech pattern still does that weird thing when you get mad._

_Shut up._

_Yes, ma'am._

"So, basically, both of our parents are dead from getting the plague." Rory said awkwardly. "I'm a gondola…driver…so…money's a bit tight…so having my sisters go to your school for special people would be brilliant. Cheers."

Lily gently touched his arm, trying to get him to calm down. Rory got it and took a deep breath.

Signora Calvierri's son, Francesco, moved to stand in front of Amy.

"Have we met?" he asked.

"I've just got one of those faces." Rory answered.

"I wasn't talking to you." Francesco said.

"She's got the same face…" Rory said, "which is because she'd my sister!"

"Carlo, explain yourself." The Signora said, turning to her manservant. "Why have you brought me this imbecile?"

"Signora, they have references from the King of Sweden." Carlo replied.

"What?" The Signora exclaimed. "Let me see."

She held out her hand and Rory walked to the throne and put the psychic paper in it.

"Well, now I can see what got my steward so excited." The woman said, examining the paper before handing it back. "What say you, Francesco? Do you like them?"

"Oh, I do, Mother." Francesco said, circling the two girls. "I do."

"Then we would be delighted to accept them." The Signora announced. "Say goodbye to your sisters."

Rory and Amy gripped each other's hands and Lily grabbed him in a quick hug.

"Get back to the Doctor as quickly as you can." She whispered quickly.

He nodded and Carlo led him away.

"Tell Uncle…Doctor…We'll see you both pretty soon, okay?" Amy told Rory and he nodded. "We'll be fine."

_Get to him quickly._ Lily told the Doctor. _Keep him safe and I'll keep Amy safe._

_Keep yourself safe._ The Doctor told her seriously.

Lily hesitated for a moment before letting the barrier in her mind drop and letting the Doctor feel her worry for him.

_I will._ She told him. _You stay safe, too._

She felt the Doctor pull out of her mind and she and Amy were alone in the throne room.

* * *

Carlo led Amy and Lily through the school, and Lily covered her face with her hair as she passed some of the girls who had met her earlier. The man took them into a room they were to share with some other girls.

"There are clothes on the beds." He told them. "Get changed and wait here."

"Blimey." Amy said, looking around the opulent room. "This is private education, then?"

"Not where I came from." Lily replied as the other girls, except one, left.

"Hey." Amy said to the girl who stayed. "Hello. I'm Amy, and this is the –"

"Lily." The Time Lord interrupted. "I'm Lily. What's your name?"

"Isabella." The girl replied.

"Listen, your father sent us." Lily told her quietly. "We're going to get you out of here, but you need to trust us and tell us what's happening in here. What are they doing to you?"

"They, um…they come at night." Isabella told her. "They gather round my bed and they take me to a room…with this green light and a chair with…with straps, as if for a surgeon."

"What happens in there?" Amy asked.

"I wake up here." Isabella replied. "And the sunlight burns my skin like candle wax."

A bell tolled and Amy looked around warily.

"I have to go." Isabella told them, standing up.

"Where are you going?" Lily asked.

"We're not allowed to spend time with new girls on their first night." Isabella told her.

Lily nodded.

"Alright, go." She told her quietly. "Just stay safe."

Isabella nodded and left Amy and Lily alone.

They got changed in silence.

"You don't like me, do you?" Amy finally asked.

"I don't know you, Amy." Lily replied. "I'm mad at him, and unfortunately you're tied up in that."

"But you know I kissed him." Amy said.

"Yes." Lily replied softly, folding her clothes obsessively.

"You should know that he didn't kiss me back." Amy told her.

Lily froze, but she didn't look up.

"And you were never far from his thoughts." Amy continued. "He mentioned you all the time, and anyone could see he missed you."

"Not enough to come back." Lily murmured.

"I know things are messed up between you two, and I'm sorry for my part in it, that's all I wanted to say." Amy said.

Lily sighed and finally looked up at her.

"You know Rory loves you, right?" she asked.

"Yeah." Amy replied.

"It scares you, doesn't it?" Lily asked.

Amy stared at her.

"Believe me, the Doctor and I are the experts on running." Lily said, grinning. "We know what scared looks like."

"I'm afraid I'm settling." Amy whispered.

"I can't answer that for you." Lily told her. "Only you can decide if you're settling or not."

"What if I told you I was in love with the Doctor?" Amy asked.

"I'd tell you that that happens a lot." Lily said, smiling weakly.

"Would you hate me?" Amy asked.

Lily laughed despite herself.

"If I hated everyone who fell for the Doctor, I would have to hate most of the universe." Lily told her. "The Doctor takes people away from their problems, he takes them and he makes them better, so of course they fall in love with him. Hell my best friend and my brother have both been in love with him at some point. All I can do is trust the Doctor when he tells me I'm the only one. And I do."

"Then why are you mad at him?" Amy asked. "He did what he promised. He came back."

"Because I thought we were in this together." Lily told her seriously. "I thought I was the one he would never run from. But that's what he did. He ran away from me and left me alone and it hurt. It hurt more than you can imagine. Imagine having part of you ripped away. That's what it felt like to have the Doctor run away from me."

"I'm sorry." Amy told her.

Lily studied her closely.

"I imagine that's how Rory is feeling right now." She told her. "He thought he had a life he was about to start, and in an instant found that ripped away from him. You need to make the choice, be with him or don't be with him. You can't have both."

Amy sat down on the bed heavily.

"I know." She said softly.

Lily came and wrapped her arm around Amy's shoulders.

"You know what always makes me feel better?" Lily asked.

"What?" Amy asked.

"Exploring places I'm not supposed to be." Lily replied.

Amy laughed.

"Come on." Lily said, pulling her up. "Let's go let the boys in."

* * *

The Doctor and Rory sat back in a gondola as Guido, dressed in Rory's clothes, guided them along the canal.

"She'll be fine." The Doctor told Rory.

"You can promise me that, can you?" Rory shot back.

"Yes." The Doctor answered. "Lily won't let anything happen to her."

Rory hesitated for a moment before nodding.

* * *

Lily and Amy made their way downstairs and heard moans and cries.

"You need to stay behind me." Lily told Amy. "And if I tell you to stay, you stay, understood? I'm not the Doctor. I'll just change the molecular structure of the floor you're standing on and make you stay if you don't obey me."

Amy nodded.

"Can you really do that?" She whispered.

"Yes." Lily replied.

They continued walking, not noticing the skeletal hand sticking out of a chest they passed.

* * *

The gondola reached its destination.

"We're here." Guido told them.

Carrying a lit torch, the Doctor opened the creaking gate and Rory followed. Guido stayed with the gondola.

"Right." The Doctor said as they climbed a flight of stairs. "Okay, I'll go first. If anything happens to me, go back…"

"What happened?" Rory demanded. "Between you and Amy? You said she kissed you."

They reached a door and the Doctor turned to look at him.

"Now?" the Doctor demanded. "You want to do the _now_?"

He went up the last steps to the door.

"I have a right to know." Rory told him as he followed. "I'm getting married in 430 years."

* * *

Amy and Lily went to the center of the courtyard and set down the lamp. Lily reached over and released the bar locking the grate. Suddenly, someone hit her in the back of the head and she fell to the ground. Amy shrieked and turned around to find Carlo.

* * *

The Doctor and Rory continued through a narrow passage, the only light coming from the Doctor's torch.

"She was frightened." The Doctor told him. "I was frightened, but we survived, and the relief of it…and so she kissed me."

"And you kissed her back?" Rory asked.

"No." the Doctor replied. "I kissed her mouth."

"Funny." Rory replied.

"Rory…" the Doctor said, stopping and turning to look at him. "Rory, I didn't kiss her back. For one thing, I wouldn't do that to the Phoenix. And for another, she kissed because I was there. I would have been you," he tapped him on the chest, "it _should _have been you."

"Yeah." Rory agreed.

"Exactly." The Doctor said. "That's why I brought you here."

A strong gust of wind blew out the torch, leaving them in the dark.

"Can we go and see the vampires now, please?" the Doctor whispered.

* * *

Amy gasped as Carlo forced her down the stairs and another servant carried an unconscious Lily over his shoulder.

"Control yourself, child!" Carlo ordered.

He dragged her into the chamber Isabella had described, and The Signora, Francesco, and some of the girls were waiting.

"Get your hands off me." Amy ordered.

"Psychic paper." The Signora scoffed. "Did you really think that would work on me?"

There was a hum of power as the chamber was bathed in a green light.

* * *

The Doctor pushed the grate open and climbed out, using Rory as a ladder.

"Push…" he called.

He got out and reached back down to pull Rory up.

"Come on." He said. "There we are."

He looked around for the girls, but they weren't there.

"Something's wrong." The Doctor whispered. "Lily? Where are you? I can't see a thing."

"Just as well I brought this, then." Rory said, pulling out a small flashlight.

The Doctor pulled out a large light from under his jacket.

"Ultraviolet." He said. "Portable sunlight."

"Yours is bigger than mine." Rory stated.

"Let's not go there." The Doctor replied.

He spotted something on the side of the well and bent to look at it. He touched a stain and brought his fingers away red with blood.

"Lily." He whispered.

He quickly stood and walked off, Rory following behind.

* * *

The Signora circled Amy as Carlo held her and the other man locked Lily to a pillar.

"Where are you from?" The Signora demanded. "Did you fall through the chasm?"

"Mother, this is pointless." Francesco said. "Let's just start the process."

"Hold your tongue, Francesco!" the Signora said. "I need to know what these girls are doing in a world of savages with psychic paper."

Two girls came forward, holding a chair with wrist straps.

"Who are you with?" the Signora pressed. "I scarcely believe your idiot brother sent you."

Francesco set a hook above the chair and one of the girls attached an IV bag to the hook.

"What are you doing in _my_ school?" The Signora demanded.

"Okay." Amy said. "I'll tell you. We're from Ofsted."

"Put her in the chair." The Signora ordered, laughing.

Carlo pushed her into a chair and the girls fastened the straps as Amy struggled. Francesco held her head from behind.

"NO!" Amy yelled. "Get your hands off me!"

"Oh, make sport of me, will you?" the Signora said. "Tease me as if I were your dog? Well, this dog has a bite, girl."

She turned and Amy saw her fangs.

"Doctor!" she yelled as the Signora leaned in and bit her neck.

* * *

"If we cancel now," Rory was saying as the men walked along, "we lose the deposit on the village hall, the salsa band…." He sighed.

The Doctor leaned down and opened a chest, revealing skeletal remains.

"What happened to them?" Rory asked.

"They've had all the moisture taken out of them." The Doctor said.

* * *

The Signora pulled away from Amy, licking her lips as the girls left. Amy's eyes were glazed and Francesco leaned down and ran a finger along her neck by the wounds.

"Mother…" he said. "Where you drink from her, may we share? I'm so thirsty."

"Of course, darling." She replied.

* * *

"That's what vampires do, right?" Rory asked. "They drink your blood and replace it with their own."

"Yeah, except they haven't just had their blood taken," the Doctor replied, "but all the water in their bodies."

"Why did they die?" Rory asked. "Why aren't they like the girls in the school?"

"Maybe not everyone survives the process." The Doctor said.

Rory stalked away in frustration before stopping and rounding on the Doctor.

"You know what's dangerous about you?" Rory demanded, pointing at him. "It's not that you make people take risks. It's that you make them want to impress you. You make it so they don't want to let you down. You have no idea how dangerous you make people to themselves when you're around."

"Who are you?" the voices of girls asked in unison.

The girls appeared, each from her own archway. The Doctor held up the ultraviolet light as they approached.

"We should run." He said. "Run!"

The Doctor and Rory ran from the courtyard, followed by the girls.

* * *

"This is how it works." The Signora told Amy. "First, we drink you until you're dry. Then…we fill you with our blood. It rages through you like a fire, changing you, until one morning you awake and your humanity is a dream…now faded."

"Or you die." Francesco said, chuckling as he moved a strand of hair away from her neck. "That can happen."

"And if I survive?" Amy asked.

"Then there are 10,000 husbands waiting for you in the water." The woman replied.

"Yeah, sorry." Amy said. "I'm kind of engaged."

She kicked the Signora and Francesco restrained her.

There was a hum and the Signora flipped back part of her skirt to reveal a device clipped to it. Suddenly her image flickered and revealed an insectoid creature with a fish-like head. Her human image returned as they heard running footsteps and voices above them. They ran upstairs, leaving Amy alone, struggling to get free, with Lily, who was still unconscious and chained up.

* * *

The Doctor and Rory ran along a corridor and stopped when the Signora, Francesco, and Carlo appeared in front of them.

"Cab for The Phoenix and Amy Pond?" the Doctor asked.

* * *

Amy gasped in surprise when a hand reached out to undo her straps. She looked up to see Isabella.

"She bit me!" she exclaimed as she stood up.

"Yes." Isabella agreed.

Amy ran to Lily.

"Phoenix?" she called. "Come on, you need to wake up!"

Lily groaned and opened her eyes.

"That…son of a bitch." She said slowly. "He hit me! The son of a bitch hit me!"

"I don't know where the key is." Amy told her.

Lily glanced at the chains.

"Screw the key." She said, her eyes flashing. The chains disappeared and Lily climbed to her feet. "Now I'm pissed."

* * *

The girls approached from the other end of the corridor, blocking the Doctor and Rory's escape.

"This rescue plan, not exactly watertight, is it?" the Signora asked.

"Ha-ha!" the Doctor said, brandishing the light at the girls to hold them back.

They all jumped as a gold barrier sprung up around the Doctor and Rory. Lily emerged calmly from an intersecting corridor, followed by Amy and Isabella.

"I wouldn't hurt them if I were you." She said.

"Rory!" Amy called.

"Amy!" he shouted back.

"Quickly, through here!" Isabella called.

Lily let the shield drop and they followed the girl back down the corridor.

"Seal the house." The Signora ordered.

* * *

"They're not vampires!" Amy told the Doctor.

He was leaning down and opening a door with the screwdriver while Rory checked Lily's head.

"I'll be fine." She said, waving him away.

"What?" The Doctor exclaimed as they ran down the passage

"I saw them, I saw her." Amy said. "They're not vampires. They're aliens!"

"Classic!" the Doctor chuckled.

"That's GOOD news?" Rory demanded. "What is wrong with you people?"

The Doctor pushed him further along as they heard the aliens break through the door.

"Come on, move!" he ordered.

Francesco came up behind them and the Doctor brandished the ultraviolet light at him to hold him back.

"Keep moving!" the Doctor ordered. "Come on, guys."

Isabella opened a doorway for them and led them outside to the stairs where Guido was waiting by the canal.

"Quickly." She told them. "Get out. Quick!"

Sunlight hit her and she shied away.

"Oh.." the Doctor said, running to help her. "Come on, run!"

"I can't!" she replied.

Before he could stop it, she was dragged back inside. He pounded on the door and spasmed as the door was electrified. He fell to the ground and was still.

"Theta!" Lily screamed, running to him.

Rory ran after her and checked him.

"Is he dead?" Amy demanded.

"No, he's breathing." Rory replied.

Amy looked back at Guido, who looked at the ground, before looking at Lily who was holding the Doctor in her arms.

* * *

Lily was sitting next to the Doctor on the bed when he came round. She was dressed in her clothes again and her hair was blonde, but the tips were still red.

_Hey._ She said, helping him sit up.

_You're talking to me again?_ He asked.

_Right now, my fear is overruling my anger._ She told him, glaring. _Don't screw it up._

He gently touched her face.

_I won't._ he told her.

"You're awake!" Amy exclaimed.

She and Rory walked over to join them.

"So what happens now?" Amy asked.

* * *

The Signora walked into the throw room to find the Doctor in her throne and Lily leaning against it.

The Doctor gave her a wolf whistle.

"Long way from Saturnyne, aren't you…Sister of the Water?" he asked.

"No, let me guess." She replied. "The owner of the psychic paper. And the girl with the amazing power. Then I take it you're refugees, like me?"

"I'll make you a deal." The Doctor told her. "An answer for an answer. You're using a perception filter. It doesn't change you features, but manipulates the brainwaves of the person looking at you. But seeing one of you for the first time in, say, a mirror, the brain doesn't know what to fill the gap with, so leaves it blank…hence no reflection."

"Your question?" the Signora asked.

"Why can we see your big teeth?" he asked.

"Self-preservation over-rides the mirage." She answered, laughing. "The subconscious perceives the threat and tries to alert the conscious brain."

"Where's Isabella?" the Doctor asked.

"My turn." The Signora said. "Where are you from?"

"Gallifrey." Lily answered.

"You should be in a museum." The Signora marveled. "Or in a mausoleum."

"Why are you here?" the Doctor asked.

"We ran from the silence." She answered. "Why are you here?"

"Wedding present slash plead for forgiveness." The Doctor replied. "The silence?"

"There were cracks." The Signora told him. "Some were tiny…some were as big as the sky. Through some we saw worlds and people and through others we saw silence…and the end of all things. We fled to an ocean like ours and the crack snapped shut behind us…and Saturnyne was lost."

"So Earth is to become Saturnyne Mark II?" Lily demanded.

"And you can help me." The Signora said. "We can build a new society here, as others have. What do you say?"

"Hmm." The Doctor replied.

He stood and walked over to her, Lily following behind him.

"Where's Isabella?" he whispered.

"Isabella?" the Signora asked.

"The girl who saved my mate and my friend." The Doctor replied.

"Oh, deserters must be executed." She replied. "Any general will tell you that. I need an answer, Doctor. A partnership. Any which way you choose."

"I don't think that's such a good idea, do you?" he asked. "I'm a Time Lord. You're a big fish. Think of the children. Plus I already have a mate, and I think I've pissed her off enough for the next century."

"Carlo!" the Signora called, and the man approached. "You're right. We're nothing alike. I will bend the heavens to save my race, while YOU philosophize."

"This ends today." The Doctor told her. "I'll tear down the House of Calvierri, stone by stone."

Carlo put a hand on the Doctor's chest, but cried out in pain a moment later as Lily twisted his arm behind him.

"Do not touch him." She growled.

"You really shouldn't have hit her." The Doctor told him.

Lily let go of him and pushed Carlo to the ground before joining the Doctor as he walked to the door. When they reached it, the Doctor stopped and turned back around.

"And you know why?" he asked the Signora. "You didn't know Isabella's name."

The door opened.

"You didn't know Isabella's name." he repeated.

He and Lily walked out and the door slammed behind them.

A/N: Tell me what you guys think!

Abbey


	38. Vampires in Venice: Come With Us

Disclaimer: Remember the days when my disclaimers were snarky and funny? Yeah, I miss those days too.

Ch. 38:

The Doctor examined the bite on Amy's neck while Lily sat with her head on the table and a bag of ice on top of it.

They were all sitting at a table, Amy and Lily on one side, and Rory and Guido on the other.

The Doctor pointed his screwdriver at the bite and it closed up.

"You're fine." He told her. "Open wide."

He slipped a candy in her mouth and she sat there sucking on it.

"Next patient." He said, moving to Lily.

He moved the bag and she hissed in protest.

"I'm fine." She told him, her voice muffled by the table. "It's already healing. All that's left is blood. Besides I'm not the one who got himself electrocuted."

He sighed and made her sit up and look at him.

"You were unconscious." He told her.

"So were you, for longer I might add." She shot back.

"You might have a concussion." He said.

"I haven't had a concussion since I was human." She told him.

He opened his mouth again, but closed it when she glared at him.

"Fine." He said, standing up.

He began to pace and after a second gave a shout frustration.

"I need to think." He said. "Come on brain, think, think, Think!" He sat down at the head of the table between Amy and Rory. "Think!"

"If they're fish people, it explains why they hate the sun." Amy said, talking around the candy.

"Stop talking, brain thinking." The Doctor said, putting his hand over her mouth. "Hush."

"It's the school think I don't understand." Rory said.

"Stop talking, brain thinking." The Doctor repeated, putting his other hand over Rory's mouth. "Hush."

"I say we take the fight to them." Guido said.

"Ah-ah-ah!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"What?" Guido asked.

"Ah!" he said again, nodding at Rory.

Rory sighed and placed his hand over Guido's mouth.

"She's a Sister of the Water." Lily said. "Why's she on land?"

"Ah!" the Doctor said and Lily glared at him.

"So help me God, if you try to shut me up, I will shoot you." She told him.

"Right." He agreed before continuing. "Her planet dies, so they flee through a crack in space and time, and end up here, then she closes off the city and, one by one, changes people into creatures like her to start a new gene pool. Got it."

"Then what?" Lily asked. "They come from the sea, they can't survive forever on land, so what's she going to do?"

"Unless she's going to do something to the environment to make the city habitable…" the Doctor replied. "She said, 'I shall bend the heavens to save my race'." He moved his hands from Rory and Amy's mouths to their head and made them nod. "Bend the heavens…Bend…the heavens…."

He looked at Lily.

"She's going to sink Venice." They said at the same time.

The Doctor grinned at Lily and she smiled despite herself.

"She's…she's going to sink Venice?" Guido asked, not comprehending.

"And repopulate it with the girls she's transformed." The Doctor replied.

"You can't repopulate somewhere with just women." Rory pointed out. "You need…blokes."

"Not always." Lily replied. "But in this case, you're correct."

"She's got blokes." Amy said.

"Where?" the Doctor asked.

"In the canal." Amy replied. "She said to me, 'There are 10,000 husbands waiting in the water'."

"Only the male offspring survived the journey here." the Doctor said. "She's got 10,000 children swimming in the canals, waiting for Mum to make them some compatible girlfriends. Ew. I mean, I've been around a bit, but, really, that's….that's…Ew."

"Oh, please." Lily scoffed. "Because our regenerations didn't mold us into more compatible versions of ourselves. If nothing else, we look closer in age than before, which stops people from asking what a young girl was doing with a guy who was so much older. How is that any different?"

"Because we didn't do it consciously." He shot back. "And because _we_ were doing it, not our mum's."

"Okay." Lil agreed. "Point taken."

"Thank you." The Doctor replied.

There was a loud clattering from the floor above and they all looked up at the ceiling.

"The people upstairs are very noisy." The Doctor said.

"There aren't any people upstairs." Guido replied.

"I knew you were going to say that." The Doctor said. "Did anyone else know he was going to say that?"

"I hate you." Lily told him.

"No you don't." he replied brightly. "'Cause if you did, you wouldn't say so. In fact, I'd wager you're not even as mad at me."

"Bite me." She told him.

"Maybe later." He replied as the wood creaked above them.

"Is it the vampires?" Rory asked.

"Like I said, they're not vampires." The Doctor said. "Fish from space."

"Because that distinction really helps us." Lily said.

There was a loud thump and the sound of breaking glass as the school girls entered the room. Outside the window, stood more of them, and the group quickly jumped to their feet. The Doctor brandished the ultraviolet light as Guido crossed himself.

"Aren't we on the second floor?" Rory asked, looking at the girls outside the window.

The girls came forward and the Doctor kept them back with the light. While he was holding them back, Lily pulled out her sonic screwdriver and used it to show their true forms.

"What's happened to them?" Guido asked.

"There's nothing left of them." Lily said, shutting it off. "They've been fully converted."

"Blimey." The Doctor said. "Fish from space have never been so…Buxom."

Lily reached up and smacked him across the head.

"Would you believe me if I said I missed that?" he asked. "Right, Move. Come on."

They ran down the stairs, Amy and Rory in front, followed by Lily, then the Doctor, then Guido.

"Give me the lamp." Guido called, taking it from the Doctor and using it on the girls.

Amy and Rory ran out of the door, disturbing a flock of chickens.

"Go, go, go, go, guys!" the Doctor ordered as he and Lily followed them out. "Keep moving, go, go, go!"

They heard the door close and they turned to see Guido locking them out.

"Stay away from the door, Doctor." The man called.

"No!" the Doctor yelled, pounding on the door. "Guido, what are you doing? I'm not leaving you! What are you doing?"

The Doctor used the screwdriver on the door but it didn't work.

"Lily!" he yelled.

She pushed Amy and Rory along before running to the door.

"Get in there." The Doctor ordered.

Lily laid her hand on the door, but when she went for her power, she staggered.

"Okay, maybe I do have a concussion." She said, sliding to the ground.

The Doctor suddenly realized what was in that house and what Guido was planning on doing. He grabbed Lily and pulled her up. He and Lily ran and were thrown to the ground as the house exploded.

After the explosion had died down, the Doctor helped Lily to her feet as Amy and Rory approached.

"Are you alright?" he asked his mate.

She nodded.

"My ears are ringing, but beyond that, I'm fine." She told him.

There was a roar and they looked up to see the sky filling with clouds and lightening.

"She's initiating the final phase." Lily said.

"We need to stop her." Amy said. "Come on!"

"No, no." the Doctor said. "Get back to the TARDIS."

"You can't stop her on your own." Amy told him.

"He's not alone." Lily said, stepping to his side. "Not anymore."

_Lily…_ the Doctor said.

_This doesn't mean we're alright._ Lily told him. _But you'll never be alone. Not if I can help it._

He reached over and took her hand and she didn't pull away.

"I can help!" Amy protested.

"We don't discuss this!" the Doctor told her. "I tell you to do something, Amy , and you do it. Huh?"

Amy glared at him and stormed off.

"Thank you." Rory said. "Both of you."

He went after Amy.

"Yeah…" the Doctor said, looking after them. "You're welcome."

"Keep her safe for now." Lily told him quietly. "He'll come around when he see that we will protect them."

"I don't know how I survived for any amount of time without you." He told her.

"Probably with a lot of close calls." She said smiling.

The Doctor smiled softly and squeezed her hand. They heard screaming and ran off.

* * *

Amy and Rory stopped by the canal, across from the school, staring up at the sky. They didn't see Francesco watching them.

"Oh, my God!" Amy said. "What is going on?"

"The sky, it's like it's boiling." Rory said.

They hesitated for a moment before continuing on. They didn't see Francesco dive into the canal.

* * *

The Doctor and Lily entered the throne room and went directly to the throne itself. They began to examine it and the Doctor opened the back to reveal complex circuitry. Both he and Lily took out their screwdrivers.

"You're too late." The Signora said, emerging from the shadows. "Such determination…just to save one city. Hard to believe it's the same man that let an entire race turn to ciders and ash. Or the woman who murdered a whole race in cold blood. But you both can now watch as my people take their new kingdom."

"You're girls are dead, Rosanna." Lily told her.

"You're lying." She replied.

"Shouldn't we be dead? Hmm?" the Doctor asked as she walked away. "Rosanna, please, help me. There are 200,000 people in this city."

"So save them." She told them as she left.

The Doctor and Lily looked at the throne before looking at each other and running out of the room.

* * *

Amy and Rory made their way through the streets, but were blocked by a wet Francesco. Rory picked up to candlesticks and held them up in the form of a cross, warding the alien off.

"Amy, run!" he yelled.

Francesco swiped the candlesticks away and advanced on Amy.

"This way, you freak!" Rory yelled. "Don't! This…this…this way, you big, stupid, great…SpongeBob! The only think I've seen uglier than you is…your mum! No…"

Francesco turned and confronted Rory.

"Did you just say something about Mummy?" he demanded.

Rory picked up a broom and brandished it, but his bravado fell when Francesco pulled out his very real sword. He attacked and Rory blocked with the broom handle.

"Careful!" Amy called. "Hit him! This way, bring him this way! Rory!"

Francesco sliced the broom handle in half, leaving Rory defenseless. He lunged and thrust his sword through a hanging drape as Rory dodged out of the way. He then wrapped Francesco in the drape, backing away.

"Ew!" he said. "You stink of fish."

Rory backed into the next courtyard.

"Well, I'm hardly going to smell of cheese and biscuits." Francesco replied, following him.

Rory tripped and fell backwards, hitting his head. Francesco leapt, changing form in midair, and landed on top of Rory.

"Hey!" Amy called from where she was standing on the stairs. "Mummy's boy!"

She held up a compact mirror and Francesco exploded in the reflected light.

"Ohhh…" Rory moaned as he wiped off the dust. "Oh…"

"That was lucky." Amy said as he stood up. "Why did you make the sign of the cross, you numpty?"

"Oh, oh, right!" he replied as he walked up the stairs to her. "I'm being reviewed now, am I?"

Amy grabbed him and kissed him.

"Now we go help the Doctor and the Phoenix." She said when she pulled away.

"Rightio." Rory replied, dazed.

* * *

The Doctor and Lily looked out from the balcony down onto the city. The bell tolled and they headed back inside.

* * *

Amy and Rory snuck through the gate as Carlo left with a bag full of stolen items.

* * *

The Doctor and Lily walked in through the main door as Amy and Rory entered through a side door.

"Get out!" the Doctor ordered them. "I need to stabilize the storm."

He and Lily ran to the throne.

"We're not leaving you." Rory told him.

"Right." The Doctor said, walking back to them as Lily sat on the throne, smiling. "So, one minute, it's 'You make people a danger to themselves', and the next it's 'We're not leaving you!'. But if one of you gets squashed or blown up or eaten, who gets-"

He was interrupted by the ground shaking and parts of ceiling falling. They all fell to the ground.

"What was that?" Rory asked.

"Don't worry about it." Lily said, picking herself up. "Just an earthquake."

"An earthquake?" Amy asked.

"Manipulate the elements, it can trigger earthquakes." The Doctor said. "But don't worry about them."

"No?" Rory asked.

"Nah." Lily said. "Worry about the tidal wave that's caused by the earthquake."

She and the Doctor moved back to the throne.

"Right, Rosanna's throne is the control hub but she's locked the program, so tear out every single wire and circuit in the throne." The Doctor told them. "Go crazy. Hit it with a stick, anything." He walked to the throne and began to check wires. "We need it to shut down and re-route control to the secondary hub, which I'm guessing will also be the generator."

"So, just for clarification, you're give me permission to kick the shit out of it?" Lily asked.

"Have fun." He replied.

Lily grinned and rubbed her hands together.

"Let's get to work!" she said.

* * *

The Doctor followed the wires from the control throne up to a device in the bell tower. As he entered, he covered his ears to block out the sound of the ringing bells.

* * *

Amy and Rory watched in fascination as Lily systematically and joyfully ripped the wires and circuits of the throne to shreds.

* * *

The Doctor climbed up and grabbed the clapper of one of the bells.

"Shut up!" he yelled. "Shut up!"

The clapper stilled and he jumped down.

"That's better." He said.

He tugged on one of the cables, but it wouldn't budge. He climbed up onto the rail and gripped the column as the rain poured down. He slipped, but regained his balance.

"Lily's gonna kill me." He muttered before beginning to climb."

* * *

Amy, Rory, and Lily ran out into the courtyard and looked up.

"There he is!" Rory called, spotting the Doctor climbing.

"I'm going to kill him." Lily muttered.

They watched as he climbed to the top and reached the giant sphere at the pinnacle.

"Come on!" Rory murmured.

The Doctor opened the sphere to reveal the device that was creating the storm. He examined it for a way to shut it off.

"Come on!" Amy and Rory chanted. "Come on!"

"You can do it." Lily whispered.

The Doctor found and toggle switch and flipped it. The rain stopped, the clouds cleared, and the birds began to sing.

Amy and Rory looked around before laughing and hugging each other.

"GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!" Lily screamed, making them jump. "YOU ARE DEAD!"

The Doctor closed the sphere and looked down, spotting an irate Lily. He gave a weak wave, wincing.

"Oh, she's really going to kill me." He muttered.

* * *

The Doctor and Lily found the Signora standing on a plank over the water, which was bubbling.

"Rosanna!" the Doctor called.

"One city to save an entire species." She told him. "Was that so much to ask?"

"I told you, you can't go back and change time." He told her, slowly approaching her. "You mourn but you live. I know, Rosanna, I did it."

"Tell me, Doctor, Phoenix…." She said, turning her head. "Can your consciences carry the weight of another dead race? Remember us. Dream of us."

She fell into the water.

"No…" the Doctor said. "No!"

He looked into the water as the bubbling stopped. Lily came and took his hand, pulling him away.

* * *

The townsfolk were cleaning up after the storm as the Doctor, Lily, Amy and Rory made their way back to the TARDIS.

"Now, then, what about you two, eh?" the Doctor asked. "Next stop Leadworth Register Office? Maybe I can give you away."

"It's fine." Rory said. "Drop me back where you found me. I'll just say you've…"

"Stay…with us." Amy said, interrupting him. "Please. Just for a bit. I want you to stay."

"Fine with me." The Doctor said.

"I like when someone with sense travels with us." Lily told him, smiling. "Helps me keep the Doctor in line. And Amy obviously isn't going to help."

"Hey!" Amy protested, but Lily just grinned at her.

"Yeah?" Rory asked. "Yes, I would like that."

"Nice one." Amy said, kissing him. "I will pop the kettle on."

She linked her arm with Lily's and they unlocked the TARDIS door.

"Ow." Lily said, rubbing her side.

"What's up?" Amy asked.

"It's nothing." Lily said, smiling.

"Hey, look at this." Amy said. "We got our spaceship, got our boys. My work here is done."

Lily laughed and they went inside, closing the door.

"We are not their boys." Rory scoffed.

"Yeah, we are." The Doctor said, clapping his hand on Rory's shoulder.

"Yeah, we are." Rory agreed.

The Doctor and Rory walked inside, but the Doctor stopped in the doorway and pulled Rory out.

"Rory, listen to that." He said.

"What?" Rory asked. "All I can hear is silence."

He went back inside, leaving the Doctor standing there, remembering what the Signora had said.

"_There were cracks. Through some we saw silence and the end of all things."_

He closed the door, not seeing the crack running through it.

A/N: So what did you guys think? Some of you have said that it seems like Lily is taking the Doctor's regeneration in stride, but remember, regeneration is a matter of course for a Time Lord. He may seem different to her, but in her mind it doesn't matter. He's still the Doctor, just like when she regenerated, she was still Lily. At least that's my reasoning.

Abbey


	39. Where You Belong

Disclaimer: I can't tell you how much this means to me. I can't believe you're just giving me Doctor Who. Hey, what's with the needle?

Ch. 39:

"So where to next?" The Doctor asked, dancing around the console.

"Doctor, I've got a concussion." Lily told him. "Amy had her blood drunk, and Rory's never been in the TARDIS before today. If you try to take us somewhere where we will have to run, I swear I will drop you."

"But…" He whined.

"No." Lily said firmly. "You can stay here and fix something, but I'm taking the humans to their rooms and then I'm going to lay down."

He glumly flicked a switch.

"Fine." He said, sulking.

"Oh, suck it up." She told him. "Come on you two."

Lily led Amy and Rory out.

"Now, I know the Doctor gave Amy a room, so I put Rory in a room next to it and had the TARDIS put a door between them." Lily told them as they walked down the corridor.

"Thanks." Amy told her.

"I also had the TARDIS put some clothes in the wardrobe, so you can change." She continued.

"Thanks, Phoenix." Rory said as they reached the door.

"Sleep as long as you like." She told them. "I'll keep the Doctor at bay if I have to sit on him."

The couple laughed.

"Goodnight, Phoenix." Amy said.

"Lily." The Time Lord replied. "My friends call me Lily."

Amy smiled.

"Goodnight, Lily." She said.

"Goodnight, Amy, Rory." Lily told them.

Amy and Rory went into their rooms and Lily moved off down the corridor. She paused at the door to the room she and the Doctor had shared, but she moved past it to the room she loved best. She opened the door and moved to her piano.

"I tried to fix it as much as I could." A voice said.

Lily turned to see the Doctor standing in the doorway.

"What happened to it?" she asked.

"When I regenerated, the fires trashed the TARDIS." He told her, moving into the room. "The rooms got all mixed up and the swimming pool wound up in the library along with your piano. If you think it's not savable, I'll get you a new one."

"This regeneration was bad, wasn't it?" Lily asked quietly.

"I've had worse." He told her flippantly.

"Theta." Lily rebuked.

"Yeah, it was bad." He said softly.

"I should have been there." Lily said, turning to face the piano so her back was to him.

He walked up and wrapped his arms around her waist, heartened when she didn't pull away.

"I'm glad you weren't." he told her. "You could have been hurt and I wouldn't have ever forgiven myself. I just wish I hadn't been such a coward and had come back for you immediately."

"What's done is done." Lily told him. "All we can do is move forward."

"So…" the Doctor said hesitantly. "I haven't lost you forever, then?"

Lily turned in his arms and took his face between her hands.

"The only way you could lose me would be to die." She told him seriously. "And even then, I'll still be yours forever."

He sighed and rested his forehead against hers.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm sorry I left you. I'm sorry I wasn't there to see Jenny. I'm just sorry."

Lily sighed and pulled away slightly.

"Speaking of your daughter, I have a letter from her for you." She told him, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out the letter and handed it to him.

"I'll leave you alone to read it." She told him, walking to the door.

"Lily." He called, making her stop. "I'm glad you're home."

Lily turned and smiled slightly.

"Me too." She said.

She opened the door and left.

The Doctor stared at the letter for a moment before turning it over and opening it.

_Dad-_

_First things first: if you haven't gotten down on your knees and begged mum for forgiveness, go do it now. What were you thinking, leaving her alone? You better do everything you possibly can do to make this right._

_Now, on to other matters._

_So, I guess you've heard I'm alive. Surprise! Before you ask, no I don't know how it happened. One minute I was dying in yours and mum's arms and the next I was stealing a shuttle._

_I just wanted tell you that I wish I could've stayed to see you, but as much as mum loves that planet, I felt like I was running out of air. I promise I'll find you guys, but until then, keep mum and yourself safe._

_Love you, Dad._

_Your Daughter-_

_Jenny_

The Doctor smiled slightly as he folded the letter. Any doubts he might have had were gone. Jenny was truly his daughter.

* * *

Lily walked back to her room and opened the door. She smiled at the fact that everything was just as she had left it, right down to her jacket laying on the bed. For someone who ran as much as the Doctor, he sure did hate change. She bend to pick it up and walked to the closet. A smile lit her face when she opened the door to reveal all her clothes.

"Oh, my loves." She said. "How I have missed you."

_I hope they're not the only thing you've missed._ The TARDIS said in her mind.

"Of course not." Lily said, laughing. "I have missed you more than words can describe."

_Good._ The TARDIS replied smugly, making Lily laugh.

A little while later, Lily sobered.

"How is he?" she asked the ship. "Really."

_He's confused._ The TARDIS replied. _He thought he could get by without you, keep you safe on Earth. What can I say, he's an idiot._

Lily smiled.

"Well, I don't know how I got by without you." Lily told her.

_Very poorly, I would imagine._ The TARDIS said. _I hear our wayward daughter made an appearance?_

"That she did." Lily said, smiling softly. "She's beautiful. You would be proud."

_What of our companions on Earth?_ The TARDIS asked.

"Martha's fine." Lily said, looking through the closet. "She's happily married to Mickey. Donna married a wonderful guy named Shawn. Gwen has a beautiful son named Ianto. He's so adorable. How 'bout here? How do you like Amy?"

_She's a nice girl, if a bit confused. _ The TARDIS replied.

"Look at you two." The Doctor said, sitting on the bed and watching Lily in the closet. "Gossiping like a couple of old women."

"Oi!" Lily said, glaring. "You're still on thin ice, mister. Watch who you're calling old."

"Yeah, yeah." He laughed. "Am I allowed to sleep in my bed, or do I need to find a couch?"

"You're going to sleep without me threatening you?" Lily asked. "Wow, this regeneration really is different."

"Shut up." He told her, grinning.

She moved to stand in front of him.

"Have you slept since you regenerated?" she asked seriously.

"I tried." He told her. "I couldn't sleep without you here."

Lily sighed and went back to the closet.

"I suppose you can sleep here." She said, grabbing a pair of pajamas. "But that's all you're doing."

"That's fine." The Doctor said, catching the clothes she threw at him.

Lily moved to the bathroom and finished getting ready for bed. When she came back out, he was finishing pulling back the covers. She slid into the bed and he laid down next to her. After a second she moved over and laid her head on his chest and he wrapped his arm around her.

She chuckled.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing." She said. "It's just funny that no matter how mad I am at you, I was still able to just slip right back into the routine."

He squeezed her shoulder.

"That's because this is where you belong." He told her.

She smiled and closed her eyes. Sleep came quickly to both of them.

A/N: Just a little interlude. Let me know what you thought.

Abbey


	40. How Long?

Disclaimer: Oh, I give up.

Ch. 40:

The Doctor woke up and Lily was still asleep, lying on her stomach with one arm and leg thrown over him. He smiled and gently slipped out of the bed. Lily's only reaction was to turn over and grab his pillow, curling into it. He chuckled slightly as he pulled on his pants and softly opened the door. He walked to the kitchen and started making tea. A few minutes later Amy walked into the room, rubbing her eyes.

"Good morning." The Doctor said brightly.

"Hmph." Amy replied, grabbing the cup he held out and sitting down at the table.

The Doctor just shook his head and sat down with his cup and he and Amy sat in silence. A few minutes later, Rory came in. He nodded to Amy and the Doctor and joined them at the table with his own cup. A second later, there was a crash.

"OW!" they heard Lily yell. "Son of a bitch!"

"Good morning, Lily." The Doctor called.

Lily came in, limping on her left foot, still in her pajamas. The only this she had a bothered to change was her hair, which was now had blue sections framing her face.

"If you don't have coffee for me, I will set fire to your clothes." She told him.

He got up and handed her the cup he had made especially for her.

"What did you hit?" he asked.

She mumbled something under her breath.

"What was that?" He pushed, grinning.

"The wall, okay?" she said, glaring. "You want to say something?"

"Not me." He said, sitting back down.

"Good." She said.

She sat down between him and Rory and pulled her foot up onto the chair, slowly sipping the coffee.

"So, I thought we'd stay in the TARDIS for the day." The Doctor said after a moment of silence. "Give us all a chance to adjust."

Lily reached over and put her hand against his head, then put it against her own head. A second later she pulled out her screwdriver and scanned him.

"What are you doing?" he asked, swatting the screwdriver away.

"You're choosing to stay in the TARDIS of your own free will." Lily said, checking the reading she had gotten. "You don't do that, so you must be sick."

"Why is that so strange?" he demanded.

"Because normally I have to twist your arm to get a free day." Lily shot back.

_What's going on?_ She asked, changing her method of asking.

_It makes you happy to stay in._ He told her, not looking at her.

"You're trying to make me happy?" Lily demanded aloud. "Now I know you're sick."

"Hey!" he protested.

Amy and Rory were watching this interaction with interest.

"Theta, you do things to make me worry, things to make me want to tear my hair out, and things that make me feel like my hearts have stopped." Lily told the Doctor. "You do not do things simply to make me happy unless I beg for at least a month. I was dying the last time I got a free day."

"We can go somewhere if you'd rather." He told her.

"Hell no." Lil replied. "I'm just making sure you're not going to drop dead on me."

The Doctor shook his head and got up.

"I'm going to go work on the console." He said, leaning down to kiss her head. "If you need me, that's where I'll be."

He walked out and Lily stared after him.

"Wow, he really wants to be forgiven." She said, laughing.

She turned back to the others.

"Wanna go swimming?" she asked.

* * *

Amy and Lily swam for a couple of hours and Rory sat on the side lines.

"There really is a swimming pool." Amy marveled as she and Lily sat on the edge of the pool.

Lily laughed.

"Yep." She said. "Somewhere, there's a garden, but I lost track of it a few months ago."

"This place is just so…" Amy trailed off.

"Weird?" Lily supplied.

"Amazing." Amy replied.

"That she is." Lily agreed. "What about you, Rory?"

"What about me?" he asked.

"What do you think of our fair time ship?" Lily asked.

"It's fantastic." Rory told her.

Lily smiled and nodded.

"Well, you guys can stay here, or you can go exploring." Lily told them, standing up. "If you get lost, just ask the TARDIS for help, and she'll steer you in the right direction."

"Where are you going?" Amy asked.

"I'm just going to make sure the Doctor hasn't irreparably damaged anything." Lily replied, smiling.

She grabbed her jeans and left the couple.

_Lead them to the garden._ She told the TARDIS as she walked along.

_Understood._ The TARDIS replied.

Lily made her way to the control room and found the Doctor cursing at the circuit he was working on.

"That's what happens when you try to fix things that aren't broken." Lily told him.

He slid out from under the console and looked at her.

"I only fix things that need fixing." He told her.

She chuckled and sat down next to him.

"Of course they need fixing." Lily said. "That's what happens when you try to fix things."

He sat up and opened his mouth to protest and was surprised when she leaned forward and kissed him.

When she pulled away, he stared at her in shock.

"Hi." She said softly.

"Hi." He replied.

"So, I've decided that, while I'm still upset with you for leaving, being actively annoyed with you is just too much work." Lily said, sitting back.

"Okay." He said, still in shock.

"I love you, Theta." Lily said softly. "I won't ever let anything get in the way of that."

The Doctor leaned forward and kissed her again, pulling her close.

"I love you, too." He told her. "And I promise I won't ever let you doubt that again."

Lily laid her head on his shoulder and just let him hold her.

* * *

Amy and Rory walked through the TARDIS, looking through rooms and not talking much.

A doorway appeared in front of them, and Rory glanced at Amy, who just shrugged.

They walked through and found themselves in a beautiful garden.

"Oh, my god." Amy breathed.

Rory watched as Amy smiled and she moved through the plants.

"Do you love me?" he asked her.

Amy froze.

"Cause if you don't, just let me go home." He continued.

Amy turned and looked at him.

"I don't want you to go." She said softly.

"I can't just wait for you, Amy." He told her. "I need to know."

"Please." Amy begged. "Please, just give me some time."

"How much, Amy?" Rory demanded. "We've been doing this since we were kids, how much more time do you need?"

"Just…a little more." Amy told him. "Please."

Rory stared at her a moment before turning and walking away.

A/N: So things are better for Lily and The Doctor, worse for Amy and Rory. Just, fyi, Amy's Choice will be changed quite a bit. Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	41. Amy's Choice: What Dreams May Come

Disclaimer: You people make me sad.

Ch. 41:

Amy stood in her kitchen, mixing something in a bowl, her very pregnant belly getting in her way. Suddenly she gasped and set the bowl down on the table.

"RORY-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y!" she screamed.

Rory, who was ridding up on a bicycle, heard her scream.

"RORY, IT'S STARTING!" Amy screamed.

He dropped the bike and ran inside the house.

"Ah." He said, rushing to her side. "Okay, okay…."

Amy was sitting down, eating batter from the bowl.

"False alarm." She told him.

"What?" Rory asked.

"False alarm." She repeated.

"What?" he demanded.

"Well, I don't know what it feels like." Amy told him. "I've never had a baby before."

She fed him some of the batter as they heard a whooshing sound.

"Mmm!" Rory said.

"No." Amy breathed, standing up.

"I know-" Rory said. "Leaf blowers. Use a rake!"

Amy put the bowl on the table.

"No, it's…" she trailed off.

They both looked out the window to see the TARDIS appear.

"I knew." Amy said. "I just knew."

They both went outside. The TARDIS was in the middle of their garden and the door opened and the Doctor's head popped out.

"Rory!" he called, stepping out.

"Doctor." Rory replied, coming to greet him.

"I've crushed your flowers." The Doctor said.

"Oh, Amy will kill you." Rory told him.

"Forget the flowers, get out of the way!" a voice said.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and stepped out of the way to reveal Lily. Her hair was a mixture of purple and blonde and she was wearing black pants, a black t-shirt, and a purple and black plaid vest.

"Rory!" she called, hugging him tightly. "How are you? Nice mullet."

"Just fine, Lily." Rory replied, returning the hug. "And leave my hair out of this unless you want me to bring yours into this."

"Oi!" Lily said, gently slapping his arm. "What's wrong with my hair?"

"Where is Amy, speaking of her flowers." The Doctor asked.

"She'll need a bit longer." Rory replied.

"Whenever you're ready, Amy." The Doctor called.

Amy arrived and the Doctor stared at her stomach.

"Oh, wahey! Wahey!" the Doctor said. "You've swallowed a planet."

Lily slapped him upside the head.

"She's pregnant." Lily rebuked him.

"She's huge." The Doctor protested.

"Yeah, I'm pregnant." Amy told him.

"Look at you." He said. "When worlds collide."

"Doctor, I'm pregnant." Amy told him.

"Oh, look at you." The Doctor said. "Five years later and you haven't changed a bit." He hugged Amy. "Apart from age and size."

"Good to see you, Doctor." Amy said.

"Ignore him." Lily told her, coming over to give her a hug. "It's probably because I told him he wasn't allowed to mention it when I started showing."

"You're pregnant?" Amy asked.

Lily nodded, grinning.

"Three months." She told her friend. "You and your nine months. Time Lord gestation is a year and a half."

"Oh." Amy winced. "Congratulations."

"You too." Lily said. "By the look of you, you're about ready to pop!"

"Any day now." Amy replied happily.

"Are you pregnant?" the Doctor asked.

Amy and Lily stared at him for a moment before shaking their heads and walking back inside, arm in arm. The Doctor clapped Rory on the shoulder and they both followed.

* * *

The Doctor and Lily walked hand in hand down the village lane with Amy and Rory.

"Ah, Leadworth." The Doctor said, looking around at the sleepy village. "Vibrant as ever."

"It's Upper Leadworth, actually." Rory said. "We've gone slightly up market."

"Where is everyone?" Lily asked, looking around.

"This is busy." Amy said. "Okay, it's quiet, but it's really restful and healthy. Loads of people here live well into their 90's."

"Well, don't let that get you down." The Doctor said.

Lily elbowed him and he grinned, wrapping his arm around her.

"It's not getting me down." Amy said.

"We wanted to see how you were." The Doctor told them. "We don't just abandon people when they leave the TARDIS. These Time Lords are for life. You don't get rid of the Doctor and the Phoenix so easily."

"You came here by mistake, didn't you?" Amy said.

"Yeah, totally by mistake." Lily said, laughing. "But I'm glad all the same."

"Yeah, I mean, look, what a result." The Doctor said. "Look at this…bench. What a nice bench. What will they think of next?"

"A way to make you stop talking?" Lily suggested.

They sat down on the bench and the Doctor pulled Lily onto his lap so Amy could have more space.

"So." The Doctor said after a few moments of silence. "What do you do around here to stave off the, you know…"

"Boredom?" Amy supplied.

"Self harm." Lily replied.

"We relax…" Rory said.

The Doctor mouthed the word relax, making Lily giggle.

"We live, we listen to the birds." Rory continued.

"Yeah, see, birds." Amy said. "Those are nice."

"We didn't get time to listen to birdsong back in the TARDIS days." Rory said.

Lily laid her head against the Doctor's shoulder as the birdsong got louder.

"Oh, blimey." The Doctor said. "My head's a bit, ooh…" He held his head in his hand before sitting back up. "No, you're right, there wasn't a lot of time for birdsong back in the good…" Lily was gone and he was starting to drift off, "old…days."

All four fell asleep.

* * *

The Doctor woke up on the floor of the TARDIS.

"What?" he muttered. "No, yes, sorry, what?"

He stood up and Amy and Rory met him there while Lily, with blue stripes in her hair instead of purple, sat up in the jump seat.

"Oh, you're okay." The Doctor said, looking at the couple before moving to Lily and pulling her into his arms. "I had this dream…part of it was a nightmare, but part of it…"

"Doctor?" Lily asked.

He turned back to Amy and Rory.

"Thank God." He said. "I had a terrible nightmare about you two. That was scary. Don't ask, you don't want to know. You're safe now."

He went and hugged Amy.

"Oh, okay." Amy said, surprised.

"That's what counts." The Doctor continued, moving back to Lily and picking her up before sitting down and pulling her into his lap. "Blimey, never dropped off like that before. Well, never, really. I'm getting on a bit, you see. Don't let the cool gear fool you. Now, what's wrong with the console?"

He and Lily got up and began examining it.

"Red flashing lights…" the Doctor murmured. "I bet they mean something."

"Ya think?" Lily asked sarcastically.

"Doctor, I also had a kind of dream thing." Rory said.

"Yeah, so did I." Amy said.

"Not a nightmare, though, just…we were married." Rory said.

"Yeah." Amy agreed. "In a village."

The Doctor looked at both of them, surprised.

"A sweet little village, and you were pregnant." Rory continued. "And so was Lily."

"Yeah, I was huge." Amy said. "I was boat. She, on the other hand, was still skiny."

The Doctor walked up behind Rory and tugged on his hoodie."

"So you had the same dream, then?" Rory asked Amy. "Exactly the same dream?"

"Are you calling me a boat?" Amy demanded.

"And Doctor, you were visiting." Rory continued.

The Doctor opened the front of Amy's jacket and stared at her stomach.

"Yeah, yeah, you came to our cottage." Amy agreed.

"How can we have the same dream?" Rory asked. "It doesn't make sense."

"And you had a nightmare about us." Amy said to the Doctor. "What happened to us in the nightmare?"

"It was similar, in some aspects." The Doctor said.

"Which aspects?" Rory asked.

"Well, all of them." The Doctor said.

"You had the same dream." Amy said.

"Basically." The Doctor replied.

"You said it was a nightmare." Rory said.

"Did I say nightmare?" the Doctor asked. "No. More of a really good…mare."

He moved to Lily's side and touched her shoulder. She turned and he saw tears in her eyes.

"You had it too, didn't you?" he asked softly.

"I was pregnant, Theta." She said, her voice thick. "A baby. Our baby. What's happening?"

"I don't know." He said. "We must have all had some kind of psychic episode. We probably jumped a time track."

"Then that baby could be real?" Lily asked, her eyes bright with hope.

"Maybe." The Doctor replied, gently touching her face as birds sang in the background. "But forget about it for now, we're back to reality now."

"Doctor, if we're back to reality, how come I can still hear birds?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, the same birds." Rory said. "The same ones we heard in the…"

* * *

They all woke up on the bench and Lily jumped off the Doctor's lap.

"…dream." Rory finished. "Oh, sorry. Nodded off, stupid. God, I must be overdoing it. I was dreaming we were back on the TARDIS.

The Doctor got up and followed Lily, who was standing a little ways away, scanning herself with her screwdriver, and Rory looked at Amy.

"You had the same dream, didn't you?" he asked her.

"Back in the TARDIS." Amy said, nodding. "Weren't we just saying the same thing?"

"But we thought this was the dream." Rory said.

"Lily?" the Doctor asked.

"I'm pregnant." Lily said, checking the readings. "I know I'm pregnant, the readings say I'm pregnant. So why did I just dream that I was back when I thought I couldn't ever have children?"

"I don't know, but I had the same dream." The Doctor told her. "We all did. And we thought this was the dream."

He bent down and picked up a stone, examined it, and threw it back down.

"Didn't we?" he asked.

"I think so." Amy said, standing up. "Why do dreams fade so quickly?"

"Doctor, what is going on?" Rory asked, walking over to him.

"Is this because of you two?" Amy asked. "Is this some Time Lord thing because you've shown up again?"

"Listen to me." The Doctor told them. "Trust nothing. From now on, trust nothing you see, hear, or feel."

"But we're awake now." Rory protested.

"We thought we were awake on the TARDIS." Lily pointed out.

"But we're home." Amy said.

"Yeah." The Doctor said. "You're home. You're also dreaming. Trouble is, Rory, Amy, Lily, which is which? Are we flashing forwards…or backwards? Hold on tight. This is going to be a tricky one."

* * *

Amy woke in the jump seat with a gasp, while the Doctor gripped a lever on the console and tried to move it, but it was stuck.

"This is bad." He said. "I don't like this." He kicked the console, but it didn't do anything but hurt his foot. "Argh! Never use force. You just embarrass yourself. Unless you're cross, in which case-always use force."

"Shall I run and get the manual?" Amy asked.

"Can't." Lily said from below them. "He threw it in a supernova. I told you not to do that, that it might come in handy."

"Hush." He replied, looking down at her. "Did you find anything?"

"Nothing to explain why we're dreaming." Lily replied, rejoining them.

"You threw the manual in a supernova?" Amy asked. "Why?"

"Because I disagreed with it." The Doctor replied. "Stop talking to me when I'm cross."

He wagged his finger at her, but Lily reached out and grabbed it.

"Okay, but whatever's wrong with the TARDIS, is that what caused us to dream about the future?" Rory asked.

"If we were dreaming of the future…" the Doctor said, heading upstairs and Lily following.

"Of course we were." Amy said. "We were in Leadworth."

"Upper Leadworth." Rory corrected.

"Yeah, and we could still be in Upper Leadworth, dreaming of this." The Doctor said. "Don't you get it?"

Lily stopped him.

"Doctor, that world, that future." She said. "I want that future. Do you think it's possible it's true, either way we're going?"

"I don't know." He replied softly. "I just don't know."

"No." Amy said. "Okay, no, this is real. I'm definitely awake now."

"And you thought you were awake when you were all elephanty ." the Doctor shot back.

"Pregnant!" Lily and Amy said at the same time.

"And you could be giving birth right now." The Doctor continued. "This could be the dream. I told you, trust nothing we see or hear or feel. Look around you. Examine everything. Look for all the details that don't ring true."

He and Lily went back to the console.

"Okay, we're in a spaceship that's bigger on the inside than the outside." Rory said.

"With a bow tie-wearing alien and his blue haired mate." Amy added.

"So maybe 'what rings true' isn't so simple." Lily said.

"Valid point." The Doctor agreed.

The TARDIS powered down and the only light came from the console as the Doctor and Lily frantically tried to bring the power back.

Finally they gave up.

"It's dead." The Doctor said. "We're in a dead time machine."

The birdsong returned and as the TARDIS got darker, Rory pulled Amy into his arms and the Doctor took Lily's hand.

"Remember-" the Doctor said, "this is real, but when we wake up in the other place, remember how real this feels."

"It is real." Amy said. "I know it's real."

A/N: So into Amy's Choice we go. After this episode, I may take a break and work on some of my other stories. For one thing, I'm going too fast. At the rate I'm going, I'm going to have to have a huge hiatus between this story and the next, because I don't want to be writing in tandem with an ongoing season. I'm funny that way, but I like to know where my story is going to some extent. But let me know what you thought of this chapter.

Abbey


	42. Amy's Choice: Aye, Perchance to Dream

Disclaimer: These things make me sad.

Ch. 42:

The Doctor stood in the middle of the street as a group of school children passed. Amy and Rory woke up on the bench, and Lily sat on the ground, her head buried in her hands.

"Okay, this is the real one, definitely this one." Amy said, rubbing her stomach. "It's all solid."

"It felt solid in the TARDIS too." Lily moaned. "You can't spot a dream while you're having it."

"What are you doing?" Rory asked as the Doctor waved his fingers in front of his face.

"Looking for motion blur, pixilation." The Doctor replied. "It could be a computer simulation."

"No computer simulation is going to fool me." Lily sneered. "It's not a simulation."

"Hello, Doctor." A woman said, walking past.

"Hi." The Doctor replied.

"Hello." Rory said at the same time.

The woman paused to look back before continuing on.

"You're a doctor." The Doctor said.

"Yeah." Rory replied. "And unlike you, I've actually passed some exams."

"A doctor, not a nurse." The Doctor murmured. "Just like you've always dreamed. How interesting."

He walked away, pulling Lily up as he went.

"What is?" Rory asked, following.

"Your dream wife, your dream job, probably your dream baby." The Doctor said. "Maybe this your dream."

"It's Amy's dream too." Rory shot back. "Isn't it, Amy?"

"Yes." Amy replied. "Course it is, yeah."

"Theta, isn't it ours too?" Lily asked softly, making him stop. "This baby. Us together. Isn't this our dream?"

The Doctor gently cupped her cheek.

"Of course it is." He told her. "If it's real."

"I think it is." She told him.

"You think it is, or you want it to be?" he asked her softly.

She was silent and he pulled away.

"What's that?" the Doctor asked, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.

"Old people's home." Amy replied.

The Doctor looked at the home and saw the residents at the windows looking out.

"You said everyone here lives to their 90's." he said. "There's something here that doesn't make sense. Let's go and poke it with a stick."

"Oh, let's not." Lily whined as the Doctor walked away and Rory followed with a groan. "It never turns out well!"

"Oh, can we not do the running thing?" Amy asked, her hands on her back.

Lily and Amy exchanged a look before linking arms and following the men.

* * *

The resident were relaxing as the group walked in.

"Oh, hello, Dr. Williams." A resident called.

"Hello, Rory, love." A old woman said, looking up from her knitting.

"Hello, Mrs. Poggit." Rory replied. "How's your hip?"

"A bit stiff." She replied.

"Oh, easy, D-96 compound, plus…No, you don't have that yet, forget that." The Doctor said.

"Who's your friend?" Mrs. Poggit asked. "A junior doctor?"

"Yes." Rory replied smugly.

"Can I borrow you?" she asked the Doctor. "You're the size of my grandson."

The Doctor kneeled in front of her as she put a sweater over his head.

"Slightly keen to move on." He told her. "Freak psychic schism to sort out."

He leaned forward and looked at her closely, forcing her to lean back.

"You're incredibly old, aren't you?" he asked.

"Doctor!" Lily rebuked.

They heard the sound of birdsong and fell to the ground, asleep.

* * *

The four of them woke up, leaning against the console.

"Okay, I hate this, Doctor." Amy said. "Stop it, because this is definitely real, it's definitely this one. I keep saying that, don't I?"

The Doctor walked to the upper level, while Lily pulled herself under the console.

"It's bloody cold." Rory said, shivering.

"The heating's off." The Doctor replied.

"The heating's off?" Rory repeated.

"Yeah." The Doctor told him. "Put on a jumper. That's what I always do."

"Yes, sorry about Mrs. Poggit." Rory said. "She's so lovely though."

"Oh, yeah, she's got that nice old lady act down pat." Lily called from where she was examining wires.

"What do you mean, 'act'?" Amy asked.

"Everything's off, sensors, core power." Lily reported, pulling herself off. "I can't even get the TARDIS to responded to my calls. Something's overriding us."

"We're drifting." The Doctor agreed. "The scanner's down so we can't even see out. We could be anywhere."

He headed back to the console and stood next to Lily.

"Your right." He said. "Someone or something is overriding our control."

"As a part of the TARDIS, I find that annoying." Lily muttered.

Suddenly, a heavy set man in a tweed jacket, striped shirt, and bow tie, appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Well, that took a while." He said, walking towards them.

Behind him, a figure stood in shadows, watching them.

"Honestly," the man continued, "I'd heard such good things. Last of the Time Lords, the Oncoming Storm and the Bringer of Fire. The Avatar of Time and Him in the bow tie."

"How did you get in our TARDIS?" the Doctor demanded. "What are you?"

"What shall we call me?" the man mused. "Well, if you're the Time Lords, let's call me the Dream Lord."

"And your friend?" Lily asked. "Who's she?"

"My friend wishes to remain anonymous." The Dream Lord replied. "I hope you'll respect her wishes."

"Nice look." The Doctor told him.

"This?" the Dream Lord replied. "No, I'm not convinced. Bow ties?"

The Doctor took an item from his pocket and threw it at the Dream Lord, and it passed right through.

"Interesting." The Doctor murmured.

"I'd love to be impressed, but Dream Lord-it's in the name, isn't it?" the man said. "Spooky, not quite there."

He disappeared and reappeared behind them.

"And yet," he said, "very much here."

Lily threw out her hand and a gold bubble appeared around the man, but he simply walked through it.

"Now, now, Phoenix." He said. "Your powers don't work on me."

"What about her?" Lily said, backing towards the figure in the dark. "Do my powers work on her?"

"Leave her alone." The Dream Lord growled.

Lily smirked.

"I thought so." She said softly.

"If they work on her, attack her." Amy said.

"They don't work on her." Lily replied. "But that doesn't stop his natural instinct to protect his mate. An instinct the Doctor and I share."

"Very cleaver, Phoenix." The Dream Lord said.

"What can I say?" she replied. "I'm just that good."

"And that modest." The Dream Lord replied.

"I'll do the talking, thank you." The Doctor interrupted. "Amy, want to take a guess at what that is?"

"Um, Dream Lord." Amy replied. "He creates dreams."

"Dreams, delusions, cheap tricks." The Doctor confirmed.

"And what about the gooseberry here?" the Dream Lord asked, nodding to Rory. "Does he get a guess?"

"Listen mate, if anyone's the gooseberry around here, it's the Doctor." Rory replied.

"There's a delusion I'm not responsible for." The Dream Lord said.

"No, he is." Rory insisted. "Isn't he, Amy?"

"Oh, Amy, have to sort your men out." The Dream Lord said. "Choose, even."

"I have chosen." Amy told him. "Of course I've chosen."

Without even looking at Rory, she smacked him on the chest.

"It's you, stupid." She told him.

"Oh, good, thanks." Rory replied.

"You can't fool me." The Dream Lord told her. "I've seen your dreams. Some of them twice, Amy. Blimey, I'd blush if I had a blood supply or a real face."

"Leave them alone." Lily ordered. "So that's your game, make Amy choose between the Doctor and Rory. What about me though? It's seems to me, I have no part in that choice. So why keep me here?"

"I have no quarrel with you, Phoenix, beyond the company you keep." The Dream Lord told her. "My mate though…you'll have to wait to find out what she has in store for you."

"Where did you pick up this cheap cabaret act?" the Doctor demanded.

"Me?" the Dream Lord shot back. "Oh, you're on shaky ground."

"Am I?" the Doctor asked.

"If you had any more tawdry quirks, you could open up a Tawdry Quirk Shop." The Dream Lord told him. "The madcap vehicle, the cockamamie hair, the clothes designed by a first-year fashion student…I'm surprised you haven't got a little purple space dog just to ram home what an intergalactic wag you are. Where was I?"

"You were…" Rory started.

"I know where I was." The Dream Lord said, cutting him off as he moved back to the upper level. "So, here's your challenge. Two worlds. Her in the time machine, and there in the village that time forgot. One is real, the other's fake. And just to make it more interesting, you're going to face, in both worlds , a deadly danger. But only one of the dangers is real. Tweet, tweet. Time to sleep."

The Doctor, Lily, Amy, and Rory fell to the floor, asleep.

"Oh, or are you waking up?"

* * *

They woke up in the empty lounge of the old folks home.

"Oh, this is bad." The Dream Lord said, walking in, dressed in a suit and holding an X-ray film. "This is very, very bad. Look at this X-ray. Your brain is completely see-through. But then, I've always been able to see through you, Doctor."

"Always?" Amy asked. "What do you mean, always?"

"Now then, the prognosis is this." the Dream Lord said.

The Doctor sat in Mrs. Poggit's vacated chair and pulled Lily into his lap, watching as the Dream Lord glared and clenched his hands.

_Well that's an interesting reaction._ Lily said.

_It is that._ The Doctor agreed.

"If you die in the dream you wake up in reality." The Dream Lord continued. "Healthy recovery in next to no time. Ask me what happens if you die in reality?"

"What happens?" Rory asked.

"You die, stupid." The Dream Lord replied. "That's why it's called reality."

"Have you met the Doctor before?" Amy asked. "Do you know him? Doctor, does he?"

"Now don't get jealous." The Dream Lord told her. "He's been around, our boy." He turned to Lily. "Do you even know how many there are, Phoenix? Has he told you?"

"No." Lily replied calmly. "And he doesn't have to. I'm under no delusions that I'm the first companion, nor will I be the last."

"That's a very zen attitude to take." The Dream Lord told her. "How can you be so sure he's faithful to you?"

"And I just figured out what your angle to me was." Lily said, smiling as she moved to stand in front of him. "You should be careful, Dream Lord. You talk too much."

"Never mind that." The Dream Lord said, turning away from her. "You've got a world to choose. One reality was always too much for you, Doctor. Take two and call me in the morning."

He disappeared.

"Okay, I don't like him." Rory said.

"Who is he?" Amy demanded, crossing her arms.

"I don't know." The Doctor replied. "It's a big universe."

"Why is he doing this?" she asked.

"Maybe because he has no physical form." He replied. "That gets you down after a while, so he's taking it out on folk like us who can touch and eat and feel."

He stood and removed Mrs. Poggit's sweater.

"What does he mean, deadly danger?" Rory asked. "Nothing deadly has happened her. A bit of natural wastage, obviously."

"They've all gone." Lily murmured, looking around at the empty room. "They've all gone."

She and the Doctor ran out and the others followed.

Outside they watched as some children from the play ground wandered into the local ruins.

"Why would they leave?" Rory asked.

"And what did you mean about Mrs. Poggit's act?" Amy asked Lily.

"One of the tawdry quirks the Dream Lord accused the Doctor of having." Lily replied. "Sniffing out things that aren't what they seem. He's not the only one with them, I'm just better at hiding them."

"So come on, let's think." The Doctor said. "The mechanics of this split we're stuck in…Time asleep matches time in our dream world, unlike in conventional dreams."

"And we're dreaming the same dream at the same time." Rory pointed out.

"A communal trance?" Lily suggested. "But those are very rare and very complicated."

"I'm sure there's a dream giveaway." The Doctor said. "But my mind isn't working because this village is so dull! I'm slowing down, like you two have."

"Oh." Amy said, grabbing her stomach. "Ow. Really, ow!"

Lily ran to her side and grabbed her arm.

"It's coming!" Amy screamed.

"Help her, you're a doctor!" the Doctor told Rory, panicking.

"You're a doctor!" Rory shot back, also panicking.

"You're both doctors!" Lily yelled at them.

"It's okay, we're doctors." The Doctor told Amy, squatting down like he was going to catch the baby. "What do we do?"

"Nope, I saw him first." Lily muttered to Amy.

"Okay, it's not coming." Amy said, standing up straight.

"What?" The Doctor demanded, standing as Lily let go of her.

"This is my life now and it just turned you white as a sheet." Amy told the Doctor. "So don't you call it dull again, ever. Okay?"

"Sorry." The Doctor replied.

"Yeah." Amy replied, walking off and Rory following her.

Lily walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. A second later he wrapped his arms around her in return.

"If you freak out like that while I'm giving birth, I will bludgeon you to death." Lily told him. "Understood?"

"Perfectly." He replied.

He saw Mrs. Poggit head for the ruins, but he and Lily headed over to the swing set where Amy was sitting. The Doctor grabbed the other swing before Rory could, but Lily pushed him out.

"Hey!" he protested.

"I'm pregnant." She reminded him. "Get over it."

As he pulled himself up, Lily reached over and smacked Amy.

"What was that for?" Amy demanded, rubbing her arm.

"For making me think you were going into labor." Lily replied.

"Sorry." Amy replied.

"Apology accepted." Lily said.

"Now," the Doctor said. "We all know there's an elephant in the room."

"I have to be this size." Amy told him. "I'm having a baby."

"No, no." the Doctor told her. "The hormones seem real, but no. Is nobody going to mention Rory's ponytail?" He smiled slowly. "You hold him down, I'll cut if off."

"Only if I get to frame it." Lily said as Amy chuckled.

"This from the man in the bow tie and the woman with purple hair." Rory shot back.

"Hey!" Lily protested. "Purple is in!"

"In what century?" Rory asked.

"53rd." Lily replied smugly.

"And bow ties are cool." The Doctor said, watching Mrs. Poggit watching the children. "I don't know about you, but I wouldn't hire Mrs. Poggit as a babysitter." She turned and watched the Doctor. "What's she doing? What does she want?"

The birdsong began again.

"Oh, no, here we go." Amy complained.

"Let's hold down the Dream Lord and beat the crap out of him." Lily muttered as they all fell asleep.

A/N: So, Let me know what you think.

And Spirit-of-the-Rain, I like how you managed to turn a review for A Light in the Dark into a review for I'd Come for You. That's talent.

Abbey


	43. Amy's Choice: This Mortal Coil

Disclaimer: I will give you my soul to have the Doctor. Then after I die, you and Satan can duke it out to find out who gets final rights.

Ch. 43:

The Doctor and Lily stood at the console and Amy and Rory joined them.

"It's really cold." Amy said, rubbing her arms. "Have you got any warm clothing?"

"What does it matter if we're cold?" The Doctor demanded. "We have to know what he is up to."

"Doctor." Lily said softly, but commandingly.

He looked at her and to the others it seemed like they were having a silent conversation. Finally the Doctor sighed.

"Sorry." He said, rubbing his face. "Sorry. There should be some stuff down there, have a look."

Amy went to look and Rory followed, but not without a defiant zip of his hoodie. The Doctor went under the console and Lily followed him. He set an enamel mug on a box with a crank. When the Doctor tried to open the box, the crank came off, so the Doctor hit it instead. The box opened, revealing a number of gadgets.

"Doctor." Lily said.

He stopped what he was doing, but he didn't look up.

"I know you want that life." He told her. "The baby, all of it, and if this is the real reality, I can't give you that."

"I'm not going to lie and say I don't want a baby." Lily told him. "But the only thing I care about is what I have now, and that's you."

The Doctor turned and looked at her.

"But there you have everything." He said.

"I think that's the point." She replied. "That world is perfect to me and Rory. This world is what you and Amy want. We have to make a choice. I just don't think we're seeing all the options."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean the Dream Lord hasn't shown his whole hand." Lily replied. "And we've yet to see what his mate's part in all this is."

"You've come to same conclusion that I have, haven't you?" The Doctor asked.

"If that's the answer, then his mate is only dangerous to me." Lily said. "She won't hurt you, just like he won't hurt me."

"Yeah, but together, they could do a lot of damage." The Doctor said softly.

Lily sighed.

"I know." She agreed.

* * *

Amy looked through boxes for warm clothes while Rory watched.

"I want the other life." He told her. "You know, where we're happy and settled and about to have a baby."

"But don't you wonder, if that life is real, they why would we give up all this?" Amy asked. "Why would anyone?"

"Because we're going to freeze to death?" Rory said.

"The Doctor and Lily'll fix it." Amy said with certainty as she threw a blanket at him.

"Okay." Rory conceded. "Because we're going to get married?"

He wrapped her in the blanket.

"But we can still get married." Amy said, giggling. "Someday."

"You don't want to anymore?" Rory asked her. "I thought you'd chosen me, not him."

"You are always so insecure." Amy told him.

"You ran off with another man." He accused.

"Not in that way." She replied.

"It was the night before our wedding." He shot back.

"We're in a time machine." She told him. "It's the night before our wedding for as long as we want."

"We have to grow up eventually." Rory said.

"Says who?" Amy demanded.

She took the blankets she had found and walked back to the console. The Doctor had made something out of kitchen gadgets and Lily was back under the console, rewiring something.

"Ah, Rory, wind." The Doctor ordered, handing him the device he made and handing Amy the attached wire. "Amy, could you attach this to the monitor, please."

"I was promised amazing worlds." Rory said. "Instead I get duff central heating and a weird, kitchen wind-up device."

"It's a generator." Lily said, sliding out and holding up a hand for the Doctor to help her up. "It may look ridiculous, but I assure you it will work."

"Right, so get winding." The Doctor said.

Rory did as ordered, but nothing happened.

"It's not enough." Amy said.

"Rory, wind." The Doctor ordered.

"Why is the Dream Lord picking on you?" the man asked as he wound. "Why us?"

Still nothing was happening.

"Lily?" the Doctor called.

She sighed and got back down on her knees and reached under, grabbing two wires. Her eyes glowed and the monitor sprang to life. The Doctor grabbed her as she rocked back.

"Believe it or not, the TARDIS and I are not compatible power sources." She told him crossly as he helped her up. "It takes a lot to convert it and not blow the system."

"And I very thankful." He told her.

"Damn straight." She replied.

"Can't Lily just power the TARDIS?" Amy asked.

"Not if I want to move in the next for the next five days, or the TARDIS wants to not have her couplings blown to hell." Lily replied.

They moved to the monitor, which was showing a starscape.

"Where are we?" Amy asked.

"We're in trouble." The Doctor replied.

"Oh, come on." Lily moaned, looking at the reading.

"What is that?" Rory asked.

"A star." The Doctor said. "A cold star."

He ran to the door and flung it open to let in a blinding light, while Lily sat down in the jumpseat, burying her face in her hands.

"That's why we're freezing." The Doctor said. "It's not a malfunction. We're drifting towards a cold sun. That's our danger for this version of reality."

He closed the door.

"This must be the dream." Amy said. "There is no such thing as a cold star. Stars burn."

"It is burning." Lily said, leaning back. "It's burning cold."

"Is that possible?" Rory asked.

"I can't know everything." The Doctor said. "Why does everybody expect me to, always?"

He headed back to the console area dejectedly. Lily came up and wrapped her arms around his waist, and he returned the hug.

"Okay, this is something you haven't seen before." Rory said. "So does that mean this is the dream?"

"I don't know, but there it is, and I'd say we've got about 14 minutes until we crash into it." The Doctor replied. "But that's not a problem."

"Because you know how to get us out of this?" Rory asked.

"Because we'll have frozen to death." Lily replied, moving away as the Doctor put on his stethoscope.

"Then what'll we do?" Amy asked.

"Stay calm." The Doctor said, as he took the stethoscope to the console. "Don't get sucked in to it, because this just might be the battle we have to lose."

"Oh, this is so you, isn't it?" Rory muttered.

"What?" the Doctor demanded.

"What a weird new star, 14 minutes left to live and only one man to save the day." Rory said. "I just wanted a nice village and a family."

The Dream Lord appeared behind the Doctor.

"Oh, dear, Doctor." He said. "Dissent in the ranks."

"Why don't you go bother someone else?" Lily told him.

"Ah, now Phoenix," the Dream Lord replied. "Be nice. Now, there was an old doctor from Gallifrey, who ended up throwing his life away. He let down his friends and…" There was the sound of birdsong. "Oh, no, we've run out of time. Don't spend too long there, or you'll catch your death here."

* * *

The Doctor rushed up the steps into the ruins and Lily followed on his heels.

"Where have the children gone?" he asked.

The area was empty aside from small piles of dust and clothes. Lily leaned down and checked one of the piles with her screwdriver and the Doctor looked at another.

"Don't know." Rory replied. "Play time's probably over." He turned to Amy. "You see, this is the real one. I just feel it. Don't you feel it?"

"I feel it both places." Amy replied.

"I feel it here." Rory told her. "It's just so tranquil and relaxed. Nothing bad could ever happen here."

"Not really, me, though, is it?" Amy asked. "Would I be happy settling down in a place with a pub, two shops and a really bad amateur dramatics society? That's why I got pregnant, so I don't have to see them doing Oklahoma. Doctor, what are you doing? And what are those piles of dust?"

The Doctor picked up some of the dust and let it fall through his fingers.

"Play time's definitely over." He replied.

Lily stood up sadly and the Doctor pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.

"Oh, my God." Amy whispered.

"What happened to them?" Rory asked.

The Doctor looked over Lily's head, towards the village, and saw the elderly walking along the path.

"I think they did." He replied.

"They're just old people." Amy said.

Lily turned and looked at them, her eyes flashing.

"No." she replied. "They're very old people." She and the Doctor headed down the steps. "Sorry, Rory, but I don't think you're what's been keeping them alive."

The elderly lined up along the path, facing the park. The Doctor, Lily, Amy, and Rory, moved towards them when the Dream Lord appeared in their path. A second later, the woman from the shadows appeared. She was a woman with dark auburn hair, almost black, her eyes silver.

"Hello, peasants." The Dream Lord said. "What's this, attack of the old people? Oh, that's ridiculous. This has got to be the dream, hasn't it? What do you think, Phoenix? Shall we let you destroy this world? Let that blood lust come to the surface? Go on, Alyssy, make your brother proud."

"Leave her alone." The Doctor growled as Lily turned her face away.

"Do that again." The Dream Lord taunted. "I love it when he does that. Tall dark hero, 'leave her alone'."

"What does he mean, Doctor?" Amy question. "What is he talking about?"

"Oh, do they not know?" the Dream Lord pressed. "The great Phoenix, her hands soaked in blood. The great destroyer of worlds. The Bringer of Fire. The woman with the power to destroy the universe in the palm of her hand. Have you not told them of the lives you've taken?"

Lily turned and looked at him, her eyes swirling.

"Do not push me, Dream Lord." She whispered.

"Oh, don't fret." He told her. "I'm not the one you should fear. I'll always forgive you. She's who you should fear."

He nodded to the woman with him who gave a sinister grin.

"Drop it." The Doctor told him. "Drop all of it. We know who you are."

"Course you don't." the Dream Lord replied.

"Of course we do." Lily told him. "We haven't quite figured out how you're here, but there are only two people in the universe who hate the Doctor and me as much as you two do."

"Never mind me!" the Dream Lord told them. "You know, I think having Lily makes things too easy. I think it's time for our girls to spend some quality time together, don't you, Doctor?"

The Doctor barely had time to catch her as Lily fell into unconsciousness and the Dream Lord's mate disappeared.

"Bring her back." The Doctor ordered, holding Lily in his arms as he lowered her to the ground. "Bring her back now."

"My mate wants to have some fun, and I can't deny her anything." The Dream Lord told him. "Besides you have bigger worries. Instead of worrying about the Phoenix, perhaps you _should_ worry about them."

The elderly began to advance and when The Doctor, Amy and Rory, turned to look back, the Dream Lord was gone.

"Amy." The Doctor said, passing Lily's body to her as he stood up.

She kneeled down and held the Time Lord in her arms as Rory and the Doctor went to stand in front of the old folk.

* * *

Lily stood in the TARDIS.

"Mommy!" a voice called.

Lily turned to see a little girl with black hair and pale blue eyes running towards her and she opened her arms to grab her in a hug.

"Samantha, what have your father and I told you about running in the TARDIS?" she asked sternly.

"That I should only do it when being chased." Sam replied soberly.

"Very good." Lily replied. "Now, were you being chased?"

"No." her daughter replied.

"So why were you running?" Lily asked.

Sam looked her right in the eye.

"Because the end is here." her daughter replied.

Suddenly, Lily stood in the ruins of a city. She turned and looked around, before realizing her arms were empty.

She turned on the spot.

"Sam!" she yelled.

She heard a whimper and ran towards it. A little ways away, she saw her daughter, bloody and broken.

"Oh, god." She said, pulling the girl into her arms, her eyes filling with tears. "Sam, it's going to be alright, just hold on."

"Why didn't you come, mommy?" Sam asked weakly. "Why didn't you save us?"

"Shh." Lily said, tears falling onto her daughter's face. "It's going to be alright. Your daddy and I will save you. You'll see."

"Daddy's gone." Sam said weakly. "Why didn't you save us?"

A second later, she was gone. A sob escaped from Lily as she pulled Sam into her arms. She looked around and her hearts stopped. The ground was covered in bodies.

The nearest was the Doctor's.

A/N: So, I love you all for getting us over 200 reviews. You guys rock! Let me know what you thought of the chapter.

For all of you who read the first version of this, sorry! This is what I meant to post. First major mistake in four stories. Not bad. I really thought it would have come sooner.

Abbey


	44. Amy's Choice: Be All My Sins Remembered

Disclaimer: If the BBC would just let go of the notion that they own the Doctor, the world would be a better place.

**You may need to go back and read This Mortal Coil again because part of it didn't get uploaded at first. I fixed it, so you should go back and read it again to make sure you didn't miss anything.**

Ch. 44:

"Hi." Rory said, walking up to the elderly people.

"Hello." The Doctor said. "We were wondering where you went. To get reinforcements! Are you alright? You look a bit tense."

"Hello, Mr. Nainby!" Rory said to an old man.

"Rory…" the Doctor warned.

"Mr. Nainby ran the sweet shop." Rory said. "He used to slip me the odd free toffee." Mr. Nainby lifted him but the collar. "Did I not say thank you?" He threw Rory back into the mud. "How did he do that?"

"I suspect he's not himself." The Doctor replied as Rory stood. "Don't get comfortable here. You may have to run. Fast."

"What about Lily?" Amy asked.

"Rory, can you carry her?" the Doctor asked.

"I think so." Rory replied.

"Then do it." The Doctor replied.

Rory bent and picked up Lily, cradling her in his arms.

"Can't we just talk to them?" Amy demanded.

The elderly opened their mouths to reveal an eye.

"There is an eye in her mouth!" Amy exclaimed.

"There's a whole creature inside her." The Doctor said, scanning them with his screwdriver. "Inside all of them. They've been there for years, living and waiting."

"That is disgusting." Rory said. "They're not going to be peeping out of anywhere else are they?"

Mrs. Poggit leaned forward and shot green mist at them. Rory pushed Amy back to safety and the Doctor put himself in front of them.

"RUN!" he ordered.

Amy and Rory, still carrying Lily, did as he said.

"Okay, leave them." The Doctor said. "Talk to me. Talk to me. You are Eknodines, a proud, ancient race-you're better than this. Why are you hiding away here? Why aren't you at home?"

"We were driven from our pl-" Mrs. Poggit said.

"…Planet by upstart neighbors." The Doctor finished.

"So we've…" Mr. Nainby started.

"…Been living here inside the bodies of old humans for…years." The Doctor continued. "No wonder they live so long, you're keeping them alive."

"We were humbled and destroyed." Mrs. Poggit told him. "Now we will do the same to others."

"Okay, makes sense, I suppose." The Doctor said. "Credible enough, could be real."

A man came up alongside the Doctor, pushing his bicycle.

"Morning." He called.

Mrs. Poggit shot green mist at him and he turned to dust.

"You need to leave this planet." The Doctor told her.

The creature inside of her screeched.

* * *

Rory, carrying Lily in his arms, and Amy raced back to their cottage.

"Wait!" Amy said, resting against a post. "Stop!"

"After all I've done for the over-70's in this village." Rory said, looking at the elderly following them.

He and Amy continued on to find a woman waiting for them at the front door.

"Okay, this is crazy." He said. "She loves me, I fixed her depression, she's just a little old lady."

"Mrs. Hammill, we don't understand…" Amy said.

The old woman opened her mouth to reveal the alien inside and Amy back away.

"I'll deal with this one, Chubs…" Rory said, wrapping Lily's arm around his wife's neck. "Now…"

Mrs. Hammill emitted the gas and Rory dashed back behind the hedges. As she followed him, Rory picked up a piece of wood, but hesitated, backing up.

"I can't hit her." He said.

"Whack her!" Amy yelled.

Rory did as ordered and Mrs. Hammill fell to the ground. He quickly ran back to Amy and helped her get Lily inside as others advanced across the field.

Amy collapsed on the stairs, lowering Lily with her, as Rory locked and bolted the door.

"We just ran away." Amy said. "We just abandoned the Doctor. Don't ever call me Chubs again. We don't see him for years, and somehow we don't really connect anymore and then, then he takes the bullet for us."

"You know the Doctor." Rory said as he moved the coffee table to block the door. "He's Mr. Cool." He turned to look at his wife and the sleeping Time Lord next to her. "Plus, he'd do anything to protect Lily and the baby."

Amy glanced at Lily, who never moved.

* * *

Lily picked up Sam's body and staggered across the ground to where The Doctor's body lay, blinded by tears. When she made it over, she gently laid Sam's body down and gently touched The Doctor's face.

"This is your fault." A voice said.

Lily spun around to find the Doctor, in his pin stripped suit standing behind her, his hands in his pocket. She looked back at the Doctor who lay in front of her in his leather jacket, before standing.

"What happened here?" she demanded. "I don't understand."

"You killed them." The Doctor replied.

"I didn't!" Lily insisted. "I don't know what happened!"

"Oh, you may not have delivered the blow, but you killed them just the same." The Doctor said, walking around look down at Sam's body. "You didn't save them. Just like you didn't save me."

He turned back around and she could see the damage to his body. The same damage that had been present when he regenerated.

"Why didn't you save me, Lily?" he demanded.

"I couldn't!" she cried. "You know that! My power was gone, depleted by fighting the Time Lords."

"You didn't try!" he shot back. "You just let me die."

"Don't you say that, don't you dare!" she screamed at him. "I would've given my life, every regeneration I had, just to save you!"

"So why didn't you?" the Doctor demanded, sneering at her. "You should be dead, not me."

Lily fell to her knees, sobbing.

* * *

The Doctor fought off sleep as he ran down the road from the elderly. He made it inside a butcher shop and shut the door, flipping the sign to closed.

The Dream Lord was behind the counter, dressed as a butcher, complete with apron and boater.

"Oh, I love a good butcher's don't you?" he asked. "We've got to use these places or they'll shut down. But you're probably a vegetarian, you big flop-haired wuss."

The Doctor took a key from a shelf and tried to unlock another door.

"Oh, pipe down." He told the Dream Lord. "I'm busy."

"Maybe you need a little sleep." The Dream Lord said.

The birdsong returned and the Doctor slipped to the floor.

"Oh, wait a moment." The Dream Lord said, leaning over the counter as the Doctor got to his feet. "If you fall asleep here, several dozen angry pensioners will destroy you with their horrible eye things."

The Doctor went into the hall behind the counter, closing his ears with his fingers.

"Fingers in the ear?" The Dream Lord exclaimed as the Doctor slid down the wall. "Brilliant! What's next, shouting boo?" He motioned for the elderly to enter. "Come in. Come in."

The elderly entered and made their way around the counter.

"Yes, we've got lots at 'steak' here this week." He said, laughing. "Lots at steak. Get it?"

The Doctor got up with a burst of energy and gripped at the door.

"Are these jokes wasted on you?" the Dream Lord demanded crossly.

The Doctor made his way to the second freezer door, but slid to the ground as the elderly approached.

"Wait, stop…." He murmured, reaching into his pocket.

"Oh, I can't watch." The Dream Lord said, covering his eyes.

The Doctor stood with much effort and used the sonic screwdriver to unlock the door. He threw himself inside and locked the door behind him. He slid to the ground, asleep, as the elderly pounded on the door.

* * *

The Doctor woke up on the TARDIS floor with Amy and Rory on either side of him and Lily a little further away, still asleep.

"Ah, it's colder." Amy said, clutching the blanket closer.

"The three of us have to agree, now, which is the dream." The Doctor said, buttoning his jacket as he moved to Lily's side.

"It's this, here." Rory said.

The Doctor grabbed one of the blankets Amy had brought down and wrapped it tightly around Lily before picking her up and moving her to the jumpseat.

"He could be right." Amy said. "The science is all wrong her, burning ice?"

"No, no, no ice can burn, sofas can read, it's a big universe." The Doctor told them. "We have to agree which battle to lose. All of us, now."

"Okay, which world do you think is real?" Amy asked him.

"This one." The Doctor replied.

"No, the other one!" Rory protested.

"Yeah, but are we disagreeing, or competing?" the Doctor shot back.

"Competing over what?"Amy demanded.

They both looked at her and she groaned as she got up.

"Nine minutes till impact." The Doctor said, checking his watch.

"What temperature is it?" Amy asked.

"Outside?" the Doctor said, checking the readings. "Brrr. How many naughts have you got? Inside? I don't know but I can't feel my feet and…other parts."

"I think all my parts are basically fine." Rory said.

"Stop competing!" The Doctor told him.

"Can't we call for help?" Rory asked, holding out the phone.

"Yeah, the universe is really small-" the Doctor said, taking the phone, "bound to be someone nearby!"

He tapped Rory on the head with it before hanging it up.

"Put these on, both of you." Amy said, throwing a blanket with a hole cut out at the Doctor and slipping another over Rory's head.

"Oh, a poncho." Rory said. "The biggest crime against fashion since lederhosen."

"Here we go!" Amy said, ignoring him as she put hers on. "My boys…my poncho boys." She went to Lily and slipped one over the blanket already around the slumbering woman. "If we're going to die, let's die looking like a Peruvian folk band."

"We're not going to die." Rory said.

"No, we're not." The Doctor agreed as he checked his watch again. "But our time's running out. If we fall asleep here, we're in trouble." He went to Lily and kneeled in front of her, gently brushing hair away from her face. "Without Lily, the only way we could possibly win would be to divide up. Then we'd have an active presence in each world, but the Dream Lord is switching us between the worlds. Why, why, what's the logic?"

The Dream Lord appeared, wearing a poncho and pacing alongside the Doctor.

"Good idea, veggie, let's divide you three up, so I can have a little chat with our lovely companion." He said. "Maybe I'll keep her, and you can have Pointy Nose to yourself for all eternity, should you manage to clamber aboard some sort of reality."

The birdsong began again.

"Can you hear that?" Rory asked.

"What?" Amy demanded. "No."

"Amy, don't be scared, we'll be back." The Doctor told her. "Just make sure Lily stay's okay, please."

He and Rory fell asleep on the floor.

"Rory, Doctor, don't leave me." Amy begged.

"Amy, we're going to have fun aren't we?" the Dream Lord said.

"No, please, not alone." Amy whispered.

* * *

Rory woke next to the still sleeping Amy and Lily. There was a crash as the elderly began to brake in and Rory glanced between the women before grabbing Amy and pulling her up the stairs, apologizing for every bump. Once he got her upstairs and into the nursery, he ran back out to get Lily, but when he reached the stairs he saw one of the elderly shot Lily with the green mist. A second later, she was gone. There was nothing for him to do, but to run back to the room and lock him and Amy in.

He walked to the window and saw the elderly trying to get in, even some trying to get into the TARDIS. He went back to the door and propped a door against before sitting on it and waiting.

* * *

The Doctor woke up in the freezer and listened at the door. Outside he could hear the elderly waiting, the aliens in them screeching. He pulled out the screwdriver and took a deep breath.

"Okay, where is it?" he murmured.

He tested the screwdriver once before using it to open the door. The moment it was open, he pointed the screwdriver at the light and blew it out, escaping in the confusion.

He ran out and cut across a yard to find an old man attacking a man in VW van.

"Oh, help, somebody!" the man was yelling.

"You couldn't live near the shops, could you?" the Doctor complained, running to the bus.

He pushed the old man away and climbed into the driver's seat.

"It's okay, it's only me." He told the protesting man inside.

He drove the bus through the village and stopped when he saw two young women as they were bing surrounded.

"Get in, get in, get in!" The Doctor called as the door slid open. "Quickly, quickly, over here. Quickly, come on, jump in. Quick get in now, quickly. Hurry up." The women climbed in and the man shut the door. "Are we in?" He continued driving, only to stop to pick up a family. "Come on, let's go, quickly, all four, that's it everyone in." He continued on.

* * *

The TARDIS was becoming coated in ice. Amy sat, keeping her lonely vigil over the other three, when the Dream Lord reappeared.

"Poor Amy." He said. "He always leaves you, doesn't he? Alone in the dark. Never apologizes."

"He doesn't have to." Amy said, getting up and walking over to tuck the blanket tighter around Lily.

"That's good, because he never will." The Dream Lord told her. "And now he's left you with me. Spooky old, not-to-be-trusted me." He relocated to a chair, lounging in a robe that bared a great deal of chest. "Anything could happen."

"Who are you and what do you want?" Amy demanded. "The Doctor and Lily know you, but they won't tell me who you are. And he always does. Takes him awhile sometimes, but he tells me. So you're something different."

"Oh, is that who you think you are?" The Dream Lord mocked. "The one he trusts?"

"Actually, yes." Amy replied.

"The one girl in the universe to who the Doctor tells everything?" The Dream Lord questioned.

"Yes." Amy answered.

"So what's his name?" The Dream Lord asked. "You're not the girl." He looked at Lily. "She is."

Amy looked away.

"She knows his name." The Dream Lord continued. "She knows everything about him and there is nothing he hides from her. He can read her thoughts and she knows every one of his. Do you really think you can compete with that?"

He disappeared and reappeared, back in tweed, squatting at the Doctor's feet.

"Now, which one of these men would you really choose?" he asked. "Look at them. You ran away with the handsome hero. Would you really give him up for bumbling country doctor who thinks the only think he needs to be interesting is a ponytail?"

"Stop it!" Amy ordered.

"But maybe it's better than loving and losing the Doctor." He continued. "Because he will never choose you. He will always choose her. So pick a world and this nightmare will all be over." He stood between the two men. "They'll listen to you. It's you they're waiting for. Amy's men. Amy's choice."

He disappeared.

Amy bent over and straightened Rory's poncho. She glanced at the Doctor and Lily before resuming her seat on the stairs.

* * *

The Doctor pulled the bus up in front of a church and hurried the other passengers into it.

"Everybody, out, out, out!" he ordered. "Into the church, that's right. Don't answer the door."

Once they were safe, he continued driving and the Dream Lord appeared behind him, dressed in a racecar uniform, helmet in his lap.

"It's make you mind up in both worlds." He told the Doctor.

"Bye." The Doctor replied. "I need to find my friends."

"Friends?" the Dream Lord questioned. "Is that the right word for the people you acquire? Friends are people you stay in touch with. Your friends never see you again once they've grown up."

"That's not true." The Doctor protested. "I'm still in contact with Donna and Martha."

"Would you be if Lily didn't make you?" the Dream Lord shot back. "Face it, the old man prefers the company of the young, does he not?"

He disappeared.

The Doctor arrived at the cottage and saw the elderly laying siege. He eyed the building for a way in.

"Okay…" he muttered before getting out and ducking behind the bus.

* * *

Rory was sitting on the floor, cradling Amy's head in his lap when she woke up.

"How did I get up here?" she asked.

"I carried you." Rory replied. "I'm afraid you may experience some bruising."

"Where's the Doctor?" she asked, looking around. "Where's Lily?"

"I don't know where the Doctor is." Rory said. "And Lily…."

He trailed off and Amy's hand flew to her mouth.

"I couldn't carry both of you, and I couldn't get back to her in time." Rory told her.

There was a squeaking sound and they turned to the window in alarm only to see the Doctor climbing through.

"It's all right, I had to stop off at the butcher's." he told them, falling to the floor.

"What are we going to do?" Rory asked.

"I don't know." The Doctor replied. "I thought the freezing TARDIS was real, but now I'm not so sure."

"I think the baby's starting." Amy suddenly gasped.

"Honestly?" Rory asked.

"Would I make it up at a time like this?" she demanded.

"Well, you do have a history of…" Amy glared at him as he said this, "being very lovely."

Amy cried out as the Doctor looked around the room.

"Where's Lily?" he asked.

Neither of them looked at him.

"Where is she?" he demanded.

"I'm sorry." Rory told him. "I couldn't get to her in time."

The Doctor stared at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "Where is she?"

"They got her." Rory told him sadly. "I'm sorry, she's gone."

Before they could blink, the Doctor slammed Rory against the wall.

"You let them kill her?" he demanded viscously, his face twisted into an inhuman shape.

"Doctor!" Amy yelled, pulling him away.

He stumbled back and slid to the ground.

"She's gone." He whispered.

"I'm sorry." Amy whispered.

They watched as cold fury descended on his features.

"This is the dream." The Doctor said harshly.

"How can you be sure?" Rory asked.

"Because I don't care anymore." He replied, standing up. "If this is reality and I die, at least I won't have to live here without her. This is the dream, no matter what."

There was a crash and a piece of garden statuary landed at their feet. Rory went to look and Mrs. Poggit shot the mist at him. He fell back with a groan and Amy went to him. The Doctor hit Mrs. Poggit with a lamp and set her flying of the roof before turning to watch Amy and Rory.

"Rory!" Amy cried.

"No!" Rory whispered. "I'm not ready."

He began to dissolve.

"Stay." Amy begged.

The Doctor looked away, clenching his fists.

"Look after our baby." Rory told her as he dissolved away.

"No." Amy cried. "No. Come back."

She turned to the Doctor.

"Save him." She begged. "You save everyone. You always do. It's what you do."

"Not always." He told her. "I'm sorry."

"Then what is the point of you?" She demanded.

"I wish I knew." He replied. "Then maybe I could have saved them both."

Amy touched the pile of dust gently before standing with the help of the bureau. The Doctor moved as if to help her, but he couldn't bring himself to touch her.

"You're right, this is the dream." She told him. "Definitely, this one. Now, if we die here, we wake up, yeah?"

"Unless we just die." He replied.

"Either way, this is our only chance of seeing them again." Amy replied. "This is the dream."

"How do you know?" he asked.

"Because you're right." She answered. "If this is real life, I don't want it. I don't want it."

The Doctor and Amy walked out of the house and the elderly did nothing.

"Why aren't they attacking?" she asked.

"Either because this is just a dream, or because they know what we're about to do." The Doctor replied.

They walked to the bus and Amy stopped, facing the Doctor.

"Be very sure." He told her. "This could be the real world."

"It can't be." She replied. "Rory isn't here. I didn't know. I didn't, I didn't, I honestly didn't, till right now. I just want him."

"Good." He replied. "Then let's get Rory and Lily back."

He handed her the keys, gripping her hand tightly before letting go. As she walked to the driver's seat, the Doctor moved to the passenger seat. The Dream Lord stood there, watching, but neither one said anything. The Doctor got inside.

"I love Rory, and I never told him, but now he's gone." Amy said.

The Doctor looked out the window at the Dream Lord as Amy drove the car forward, smashing through the fence and straight at the front door.

* * *

The Doctor opened his eyes in the TARDIS and looked over to see Amy slowly opening hers. She reached out her hand and Rory clasped it tightly.

"So…you chose this world." The Dream Lord said.

"Take me to Lily." The Doctor ordered, interrupting him.

"I don't know what-"

"Don't give me that." The Doctor said, interrupting him again. "Take me to her. I know you love her, and I know you know what your mate is doing to her, so let me save her. Please."

The Dream Lord stared at him for a moment before snapping his fingers.

* * *

The three of them looked around the ruined city they were standing in.

"Where are we?" Amy asked. "This isn't reality. How do I know that?"

"Because this world wasn't built to trick you." The Doctor replied, walking off. "It was built to trap one person and only one person."

"Who?" Amy asked, she and Rory following.

They rounded a corner and Amy gasped at the sight. Lily was in the middle of a group of bodies, sitting on the ground with her knees pulled up to her chest and rocking, as a man in a pinstripe suit stared down at her.

"Doctor, what is this?" Rory asked.

"Lily's worst nightmare." The Doctor replied.

They watched as the man melted into a replica of the Doctor.

* * *

"That's why I left." The Doctor told her as Lily tried to block him out. "Did you really think I would come back for someone who'd caused as much pain as suffering as you?"

"This isn't real." Lily whispered. "This isn't real."

Suddenly, the Doctor was spun around and someone punched him in the face, sending him to the ground.

Lily stared, uncomprehending, as another Doctor kneeled in front of her.

"Lily." He said gently. "It's me. It's alright, you're safe."

She buried her head back in her knees and continued rocking.

"They're all dead." She whispered. "They're all dead and it's my fault."

"It's not." He told her.

"I made you leave." She whimpered.

He grabbed her shoulders and made her look at him.

"You did not make me leave." He told her sternly. "And I came back, remember? I will always come for you, no matter what. I swear. No matter what."

She stared at him for a moment before letting him pull her into his arms. She cried as he held her, gently hushed her.

"You can't have her." A voice said.

They looked up to see the Dream Lord's mate standing in front of her.

"She needs to be punished for what she's done." The woman said.

"And what of the things you've done?" Lily demanded, pulling away from the Doctor and standing in front of her. "You're no more blameless than me."

"But I have the power." The woman shot back.

"Not anymore." Lily told her. "This is a dream, and I'm going to wake up."

Her eyes flashed, and the others shielded their eyes as the world exploded around them.

* * *

They all woke with a start in the TARDIS.

"And you're back." The Dream Lord said. "And with only seconds left. Fair's fair. Let's warm you up." The power came back on. "I hope you've enjoyed your little fictions. It all came out of your imagination, so I'll leave you to ponder on that. I have been defeated. I shall withdraw. Farewell."

He disappeared.

The Doctor slowly got to his feet and pulled Lily up, holding her tight.

"I thought I'd lost you." He told her softly.

"Never." She replied. "You always come for me."

"You know what we have to do now?" he asked.

Lily nodded.

The Doctor gently kissed her before letting her go and letting them go to the controls.

Amy and Rory kneeled, facing each other.

"Something happened." He told her. "I…What happened to me? I…" Amy grabbed him in a hug. "Oh. Oh, right. This is good. I am liking this. Was it something I said?" Amy released him and looked at him. "Can you tell what it was so I can use it in emergencies? And maybe birthdays."

They both turned at the sound of the TARDIS starting up again.

"What are we doing now?" Amy asked.

"Us?" the Doctor asked, motioning to Lily and himself. "We're going to blow up the TARDIS."

"What?" Rory demanded.

"Notice how helpful the Dream Lord was?" the Doctor asked. "Okay, there was misinformation, red herrings, malice, and I could have done without the limerick-"

"Beyond the meanness of it, it was kind of clever." Lily interrupted.

"Anyway, he was always very keen to make us choose between dream and reality." The Doctor continued, laughing.

"What are you doing?" Amy demanded.

"Doctor!" Rory yelled. "The Dream Lord conceded. This isn't the dream!"

"Yes, it is!" Lily replied.

"Stop him." Amy ordered Rory.

"Star burning cold." The Doctor said. "Do me a favor! The Dream Lord has no power over the real world. He was offering us the choice between two dreams."

"How do you know that?" Amy asked.

The Doctor and Lily exchanged a look.

"Because we know who they are, him and his mate." Lily replied.

The Doctor pressed a button and the TARDIS exploded.

* * *

When everything came back, everything was back to normal. The Doctor and Lily stood leaning against the console, looking at something in the Doctor's hand, as Amy and Rory came down the stairs.

"Any questions?" the Doctor asked.

"What's that?" Amy asked.

In the Doctor's hand were six glittering bits.

"A speck of psychic pollen from the candle meadows of Krass don Slava." The Doctor replied. "Must have been hanging around for ages. Fell in the time rotor, heated up and induced a dream state for all of us."

He walked to the door and blew them into space.

"So that was the Dream Lord and his mate then, those little specks?" Rory asked.

"No." Lily replied as the Doctor made his way back. "Sorry, we're explaining this badly. The Dream Lord and his mate were me and the Doctor."

"Psychic pollen." The Doctor said. "It's a mind parasite. It feeds on everything dark in you. Gives it a voice, turns it against you. I'm 907 and Lily's 223. It had a lot to go on."

"Oi, don't go bringing my age into this." Lily grumbled.

"But why didn't it feed on us, too?" Amy asked.

Lily laughed.

"It would've starved if it had had to feed off you two." She told them, smiling. "We choose our friends with care. Otherwise we're stuck with only each other and then we try to kill each other."

"But those things he said about you and the things she showed about Lily." Amy said. "You don't think any of that's true?"

"Amy, right now a question is about to occur to Rory." The Doctor said, turning her to face the man before walking back to Lily and wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder. "And seeing as the answer is about to change his life, I think you should give him your full attention."

Lily reached out her foot and pushed Amy towards Rory. The Doctor let go of her and walked to the other side of the console.

"Yeah." Rory said. "Actually, yeah."

"There it is." Lily said, smiling.

"Cause what I don't get it you blew up the TARDIS, that stopped that dream, but what stopped the Leadworth dream?" he asked.

"We crashed the camper van." Amy replied.

"Oh, right, I don't remember that bit." Rory said.

"No, you weren't there, you were already…" Amy trailed off.

"Already what?" Rory pushed.

"Dead." Amy answered. "You and Lily died in that dream. Mrs. Poggit got you."

"Okay." Rory said slowly. "But how did you know it was a dream? Before you crashed the van, how did you know you wouldn't just die?"

"I didn't." Amy answered.

"Oh." Rory said with realization.

"Yeah." Amy said.

"Oh." Rory repeated, taking her hand.

"Yeah, oh." She said, smiling.

Rory leaned in and kissed her and, after a second, she returned it. The Doctor and Lily watched them, smiling.

"So…" The Doctor said, applauding. "Well, then, where now? Or should Lily and I go find something to occupy ourselves for a while?"

Lily reached over and slapped him on the chest.

"I don't know." Rory said. "Anywhere's good for me. I'm happy anywhere. It's up to Amy this time. Amy's choice."

The Doctor clapped his hands and started to work on the controls. He glanced over at a shiny part of the console and, instead of his reflection, he saw the Dream Lord smiling at him. A second later, his mate joined him and the Doctor jumped when he felt a hand slip into his. He looked to his right and saw Lily standing with him. He glanced back and all he saw was them.

_They're not us._ Lily told him. _Just reflections._

He squeezed her hand tightly.

_Just reflections. _He agreed.

A/N: So first things first, if you read This Mortal Coil earlier, you should go back and check that you read the right one because I accidently only uploaded part of it. There's some important bits that you should read. So if you're confused, that's why and you should go read the rest of it. Let me know what you thought.

Abbey


	45. Questions and Answers

Disclaimer: If wishes were to come true, the Doctor would be mine.

Ch. 45:

Lily was lounging on a couch in the library when Amy found her.

"Hey, what's up?" Lily asked when she walked in. "Did the Doctor set something on fire again?"

"No." Amy said.

Lily set aside her book as she watched Amy hover by the door.

"What's wrong, Amy?" she asked.

Amy took a deep breath.

"Those things the Dream Lord said, about you…where the true?" she finally asked in a rush.

"You want to know if I've actually killed people." Lily asked bluntly.

"You don't have to answer me if you don't want to." Amy said quickly.

"Amy, I've never taken a human life." Lily told her. "That being said, I have killed."

She made room on the couch and Amy sat next to her.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Lily sighed.

"Both the Doctor and I have been directly responsible for genocide." She told her. "The Doctor caused the death of our people and I murdered the Daleks."

"But I met them." Amy said. "They survived."

"The Doctor and I don't know how they survived." Lily replied. "We think they ran from a different slaughter. One that took place before my attack."

"Why did you do it?" Amy asked.

"I felt it was the right thing to do." Lily answered simply. "The Doctor didn't agree, but I did it anyway. If I hadn't, someone else would've, and I couldn't let that happen. So I used the power at my disposal to destroy them."

"But the Dream Lord's mate said you killed all those people." Amy said. "She said you needed to pay for their deaths."

"The Dream Lord and his mate took the parts of ourselves that the Doctor and I hate most and brought them to life." Lily told her.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Take the Dream Lord." Lily said. "He made you chose between the Doctor and Rory. The Doctor, deep down, believes he's not worthy of having love. The Dream Lord made you chose so that that idea could be confirmed."

"But he loves you and you love him." Amy protested. "How can he believe that?"

"The Dream Lord took me away, didn't he?" Lily replied. "The Doctor has this annoying habit of believing he deserves to be alone. But in the end, he chose to come for me, disproving the Dream Lord."

"And the things his mate showed you?" Amy pushed.

Lily studied her.

"How much has the Doctor told you about me?" she asked.

"Not much." Amy admitted.

"All the people she showed dead, are actually dead." Lily told her. "And I blame myself for it."

"But I saw people I met when I met you." Amy said.

"The people you met are not the same ones who's deaths I blame myself for." Lily told her. "I'm explaining this poorly, aren't I?" Lily sighed. "Amy, I wasn't born in this universe."

"What do you mean?" Amy asked.

"I was born on Gallifrey in another universe." Lily told her. "There, my parents took me to Earth and erased my memories so I could grow up, safe. Then I met the Doctor in that reality, traveled with him, fell in love with him, almost had a daughter with him. But then a war with the Daleks started because I wasn't strong enough to destroy them when I had the chance. Everyone I loved, everyone I knew died because of that mistake, including my daughter."

"I'm so sorry." Amy whispered.

"It was a long time ago." Lily told her, smiling sadly. "But the Doctor in that reality sent me to this universe to save me. Here I met this Doctor and he healed me. He saved me and he loved me. But I've never been able to let go of the people I left behind. I blame myself for not being able to protect them."

"Even though there was nothing she could've done." A voice said.

The two women turned to see Rory and the Doctor standing in the doorway.

"Sorry for interrupting." The Doctor continued, leaning down to kiss Lily's head as Rory went to sit next to Amy.

"In the abstract, I understand it wasn't my fault." Lily said crossly as he sat down next to her. "It's in practice that it becomes slightly difficult. So you can either continue to have this argument with me every few months, or you can let it go."

"I think I'll have the argument, thank you very much." The Doctor replied, wrapping his arm around her. "At least until it sinks in."

"Then it's not my fault when I eventually haul out and punch you in the face." Lily replied, shrugging.

"Not like it'd be the first time." The Doctor shot back.

Lily grinned.

"Ah, fond memories." She said.

"You two are insane." Rory said, smiling.

"Of course we are." Lily told him. "Where's the fun in being sane?"

"There is none." Amy agreed.

"Exactly." Lily said, nodding. "You want sane, you got on the wrong Time Traveling Space Ship."

"That is not a sentence I ever thought I'd hear." Rory said, chuckling.

"Can I go back to my original subject?" Amy asked, raising her hand.

"Shoot." Lily said, leaning back against the Doctor.

"Can you really destroy the universe?" Amy asked bluntly.

"Yes." Lily replied, just as bluntly. "Does that bother you?"

"Are you planning on doing it any time soon?" Amy shot back.

"I don't plan on ending all life as we know it, but it depends on my mood." Lily said. "Check back next week."

Amy stared at her for a moment before laughing.

"So where are we off to next?" she asked.

"You know, I think that's the quickest acceptance of what I am I've ever seen." Lily said, looking up at the Doctor.

"I don't know, Donna didn't question it at all." He replied.

"Wasn't Donna the woman who punched you?" Rory asked.

"Donna punched you?" Lily asked.

"Yeah." The Doctor replied. "I thought she broke my nose!"

"Oh, poor baby." Lily said, laughing.

"It hurt!" he protested.

"Would you like me to kiss it better?" Lily asked.

"Yes." The Doctor replied.

"Tough." Lily replied.

A phone rang and Lily pulled her cell phone out of her pocket.

"Hello?" she said, opening it.

"Mum?"a voice called.

"Jenny?" Lily asked, sitting up. "Are you alright?"

"Jenny?" the Doctor asked, following her.

"I'm fine, mum." Jenny said. "I just thought I'd check in. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, sweetheart." Lily replied. "In fact, there's someone here I think would like to speak to you."

Lily smiled and handed the phone to the Doctor.

"Jenny?" he said softly. "It's the Doctor."

Lily smacked him across the head.

"That's your daughter." She told him. "Can we muster up a better greeting than that?"

"Jenny, your mother is abusing me again." The Doctor said, glaring at Lily.

"Dad, you left her." Jenny said. "I think you deserve the abuse for awhile."

"Probably." The Doctor agreed. "Look, why don't you meet us somewhere?"

"Where?" Jenny asked.

"New York, 1922." Lily said immediately. "Say, July 17? We'll meet you in Time Square at noon. We'll go find a speakeasy. Be careful though, these people don't know about aliens or time travel."

"Sound good to you?" The Doctor asked.

"I'll meet you there." Jenny said.

Lily took the phone back.

"See you in a little bit." She said.

"Love you, mum." Jenny said.

"Love you too, Jenny." Lily replied before hanging up the phone.

"We're going to meet your daughter?" Amy said, she and Rory following them out.

"Yep." The Doctor replied.

"Awesome." Amy said.

A/N: I decided to enter my own little story in. Mainly because I don't want to lose Rory just yet. Plus I want something with The Doctor and Jenny. Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	46. What's in a Name?

Disclaimer: I hate anyone who says the Doctor isn't real.

Ch. 46:

The Doctor and Rory stepped out of the TARDIS and stood waiting for the girls. Lily had found Rory a 20's style suit and made him wear it, and had managed to get the Doctor to change into a nicer shirt and bow tie.

"Any idea how long they'll be?" Rory asked.

"Knowing Lily?" the Doctor replied. "Could be hours."

"Oh, shut up." A voice said.

The men turned and saw Lily and Amy standing behind them. Lily was wearing black slacks, a white long sleeve dress shirt, the top buttons unbuttoned so you could see the Firepoint hanging from her neck, and a black vest. She finished the outfit with a black fedora perched on her head and the phoenix earrings Jenny had given her.. Amy was dressed in a black, beaded flapper dressed, with black heels. She had her hair done with a black head band with a feather and Lily had found a long string of pearls for her to wear.

"You two look amazing." Rory said, taking Amy's hand and kissing her cheek.

"Thanks." Lily replied, wrapping her arm around the Doctor's waist as he kissed her quickly.

"Shall we go find our daughter?" he asked.

They walked down the street and into Time Square. The lights were bright and everywhere was a party. Lily and the Doctor looked on with amusement at the other couple's joy at the sight.

"Lily?" The Doctor asked.

Lily closed her eyes and focused on the bond between mother and daughter.

"Got her." She said, leading them down the road.

A little ways away, Jenny was leaning on a light pole.

"Mum!" she called.

She ran towards them, throwing herself into Lily's open arms.

"Hello, sweetheart." Lily said, hugging her tightly.

"It's so good to see you." Jenny replied, hugging her mother just as tightly.

"Ahem." The Doctor cleared his throat.

Jenny pulled away from her mother and looked at her father.

"Hello, Jenny." The Doctor said awkwardly.

Jenny walked towards him and stood in front of him for a moment. Suddenly she reached out and hit him on the arm.

"Ow." He complained, holding the arm.

"You're an idiot." His daughter told him before hugging him tightly.

He hesitated a moment before returning the hug.

"Hi, dad." Jenny said softly.

"Hi." He replied. "I'm so glad to see you."

"Me too, dad." She told him.

Father and daughter held each other for a little while longer before pulling away.

"Jenny, this is Amy and Rory." Lily said, introducing the humans. "They're traveling with us for awhile."

"It's nice to meet you." Amy said, holding out her hand.

"Nice to meet you too." Jenny replied, shaking her hand.

She turned back to her mother.

"How are the rest of the family?" she asked.

"Gwen gave birth to a boy named Ianto." Lily told her, linking her arm with hers as they walked down the street. "Donna and Shawn are happily married. Martha and Mickey are having fun driving each other nuts. You should go back to Earth sometime to meet your Uncle Jack. We'll go together sometime."

"I don't want Jack influencing Jenny." The Doctor protested.

"Oh please." Lily brushed him off. "Jack is not that bad of an influence."

"Where are we going?" Jenny asked, interrupting her parent's argument.

"Your Uncle ran some speakeasies during the 20's." Lily told her. "I thought we'd go find one. If there's one thing he hates, it's being denied booze, so prohibition rubbed him the wrong way."

"Prohibition?" Jenny asked.

"During the 20's, the United States went through a period of religious renewal, and the movement managed to gain political power." Lily explained. "They started to push their views on the country and one of those things was the evil of liquor. Your Uncle and I don't agree with that idea, obviously."

"Really?" Jenny asked sarcastically.

"Hey." Lily protested

"What?" Jenny asked innocently.

"Brat." Lily replied, laughing.

"Jenny, don't make fun of your mother." The Doctor said, walking on the other side of his daughter.

"So, Jenny, how old are you?" Rory asked.

The family exchanged a look.

"Three years?" Jenny guessed.

"Something like that." Lily replied. "It's hard to judge with all the time jumping we do."

"Three?" Amy asked, shocked.

"She was created fully grown." The Doctor said. "A generated anomaly. Jenny."

"I wish I'd had some say on the name." Lily complained. "Jenny's a nice name, but she really needs a middle and last name."

"Well, she can use Carter, can't she?" the Doctor asked.

"I suppose." Lily replied.

"Do I get any say in this?" Jenny asked.

"No." her parents replied.

"She's House of Oakdown." Lily said.

"How do you figure?" the Doctor demanded.

"Because you got disowned at one point, and my parents loved me." Lily replied. "Like the House of Lungbarrow would accept her."

"Yeah, but that's my house and I'm her father." The Doctor protested. "You really want to associate her with the house that produced your brother?"

"Hey, it produced me too!" Lily protested.

"She doesn't even share any DNA with you!" he shot back.

"What's your point?" she demanded.

"Do they do this a lot?" Amy asked Jenny.

Jenny grinned at her.

"The first day I was alive, Dad accused her of spousal abuse." She replied, chuckling. "Then she told him she'd show him spousal abuse."

Amy and Rory chuckled as the Doctor and Lily continued to bicker.

"Granted, they weren't as….young, back then." Jenny continued.

"What do you mean?" Rory asked.

"Their last regenerations were more serious." Jenny explained. "They're more free spirited now."

"Fine, we'll call her Carter and ignore the houses, agreed?" Lily said.

"Agreed." The Doctor replied.

"Okay, middle name." Lily said.

"Do you know where we're going?" Jenny asked.

"Yes, now hush." Lily replied.

"How 'bout-" the Doctor launched into a long line of syllables and Lily stared at him.

"Over my dead body." She replied.

"What, it's a perfectly good name!" the Doctor said.

"We're not naming her after your crazy aunt!" Lily told him. "I like Elena."

"Jenny Elena Carter?" The Doctor said. "I guess."

"Good, because I was only pretending to let you have a say." Lily told him.

"Oh, thanks so much." The Doctor replied sarcastically.

"You're welcome." She said. "So Jenny's full name is now Jenny Elena Carter. Also we're here."

They were standing in front of a rundown building.

"Are you sure?" Amy asked.

"Positive." Lily replied, opening the door. "I know all of Jack's properties and he always ran the speakeasies out of his own places."

They walked up to a door and a man stopped them.

"Name?" he asked.

"The Doctor and company." Lily replied.

"Go on in." the man said, opening the door.

"How did you know I'd make it in?" the Doctor asked as they walked in the smoke filled room.

"Because Jack always added you to the lists just in case." Lily replied.

There was a bar set up against one wall and a woman singing next to a piano.

"Wow, a real speakeasy." Amy marveled. "This is so amazing!"

Lily grinned.

"Shall we have some fun?" she asked.

A/N: I have no internet access at the moment, so these are going to be slow. Sorry guys.

Abbey


	47. Party Crashers

Disclaimer: I own the right to claim the Doctor as mine. I don't care what you say.

Ch. 47:

Jenny laughed as she danced with her father and her mother hid her face in her hands. Amy and Rory danced a little ways away, watching the family and laughing.

"You used to be able to dance." Lily said. "I'd swear to it. What the hell happened?"

"What are you talking about?" the Doctor asked as he jerked around the floor.

"That!" Lily replied. "I'm talking about that! Whatever you call it! It's not dancing, I can tell you that."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." The Doctor said, twirling Jenny. "I dance just fine."

"Be careful, Jenny." Lily warned. "Your father seems to be aiming to take out an eye."

"Oh, be quiet." The Doctor huffed, grabbing Lily and spinning her. "I can dance just fine."

He proceeded to dip her low and finished it with a kiss.

"I just don't want to." he told her softly.

She laughed as he pulled her up and spun her out. She grabbed Jenny's hand and pulled Amy to them, and the three girls continued dancing as the boys went to get drinks.

"So that's your daughter." Rory said as the men stood at the bar, watching the women dance.

"Don't even think about it." The Doctor told him.

"What?" Rory sputtered. "I won't-I mean-"

"Oh, calm down, Rory." The Doctor told him, smiling. "Jenny would eat you alive."

There was a loud noise and people began to run as a gold light appeared. When the crowd dispersed, the men could see the girls inside a barrier formed by Lily, Amy between the mother and daughter, the two women protecting her. Outside stood four men, guns trained on the women. The guns were obviously not from this period of history.

Rory moved towards the women, but the Doctor held him back.

"You are guilty of illegal time travel." One of the men said. "Submit to the authority of the Time Agency."

"Nice try." Lily said. "The Time Agency is defunct. Got something else you'd like to try? Also, we have every right to travel, so back off."

"Only licensed time travelers have the right to travel." The man replied. "And considering one of you wears a Time Agent's vortex manipulator illegally, you better surrender yourself."

"I don't need a license." Lily shot back. "Me, my mate, and our daughter claim our right to travel as Time Lords. You will lower your guns and submit to_ my_ authority as High Priestess of Gallifrey."

"The Time Lords are a myth." The man told her. "Lower your barrier."

"You might want to believe her and do as she says." The Doctor called. "She doesn't take kindly to people threatening her family."

Two of the men trained their guns on the Doctor and Rory.

"Your funeral." The Doctor said, leaning back onto the bar as Rory quickly raised his hands.

He glanced at Lily and she grinned.

There was a flash of gold and the guns turned to dust.

"Now." She said, lowering her barrier as Jenny walked Amy back towards Rory. "Who's your commanding officer?"

One of the men rushed Jenny. She quickly pushed Amy out of the way and into Rory's arms before dispatching the man efficiently.

"Jenny!" Lily rebuked.

"Oh, calm down, mum." Jenny replied, leaning down to check the man's pulse. "He's just unconscious. He'll just have a bad headache when he wakes up."

"Told you she'd eat you alive." The Doctor muttered to Rory. "For two people who aren't actually related, she and Lily are eerily alike."

"Now, boys." Lily said, returning her focus to the men. "Commanding Officer?"

"That would be me." A voice said.

A blonde man with an old style dress uniform jack walked out and stood in front of them.

"Captain John Hart, at your service." He said.

"John Hart?" Lily repeated. "That's the same name as the man who helped my brother's brother try to kill him and everyone he cares about."

"Your brother?" John asked, shocked. "You're talking about Jack Harkness? He doesn't have a sister."

"Not by blood." Lily replied. "But in every other way that matters, I'm his sister. Now give me one reason why I should kill you."

"I didn't try to kill him." John told her. "I was forced to help Grey. And since when does Jack have a sister?"

"Since recently." Lily replied. "And you could've warned him. You could have told him Grey was trying to kill him."

"What's your name then, Jack's sister?" John shot back. "And no I couldn't because Grey would've killed me. And I did help Jack survive."

"You buried him for hundreds of years so he could be dug up and frozen by Torchwood." Lily said. "And I'm the Phoenix."

"You claimed to be Time Lord." John said. "And he survived, didn't he?"

"He did." Lily said. "Two of our friends didn't. And because of that, his lover was killed. If they had been alive, they may have been able to save him. And I am a Time Lord, as is my mate and my daughter."

"The Time Lords died in the Time War." John said.

"We survived." Lily replied simply.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"We were looking for a party and I remembered that Jack ran speakeasies during the twenties." Lily said, shrugging. "We thought we'd check one out."

"What about your daughter?" he asked. "The one wearing the vortex manipulator."

They all looked at the door as the sounds of sirens approached.

"Well as fun as this is, we should be going." The Doctor said, moving to Lily's side.

"You're not going anywhere." John told them.

"Look the Time Agency fell apart." The Doctor told him. "Jack found about it from you, so don't try to act like it still exists. Let's just all go our separate ways. No harm done."

"I'm rebuilding it." John replied. "Look, we're not arresting you, just come with us to our safe house. We can sort this out there."

"Where is it?" Lily sighed.

"Follow us." He replied.

He led them out, Lily and the Doctor following him with Amy and Rory behind them and Jenny bringing up the rear before John's men. He led them straight to an apartment a few blocks away.

"This is one of Jack's." Lily said as they walked into the sparsely furnished loft.

"He's not using it." John replied. "Now, what to do about our situation."

"Okay, look." Lily said, annoyed. "We told you, we're Time Lords. And you know what, at any point tonight I could've taken all of you out, but my family and I came out to have a night out. A peaceful night out. Is that too much to ask?"

She directed the last question at the Doctor with a glare.

"Hey, I had nothing to do with this at all." He protested.

"Look, Jenny and I managed to do lots of things without being arrested by Time Agents while we were on our own." Lily pointed out. "We hook up with you, we get arrested. Ergo, you're the cause. Do you have a better answer?"

"Shut up." He replied.

"Very clever, dad." Jenny snickered.

"Oi, don't make me come over there." The Doctor replied.

"Can we get back on subject?" John asked, looking at them like they were nuts.

"Which was: are we or are we not Time Lords, correct?" Lily replied. "How do you suggest we settle this?"

"You can give us a DNA sample." John replied.

A/N: I know it's slow, just bare with me. Let me know what you thought. Who else loved John Hart when he was in Torchwood? And no matter what my sister says, it's not just because Spike was in Torchwood.

Abbey


	48. A Purpose

Disclaimer: If you haven't got it by now, I just give up. You are so far beyond hope, it's not even funny.

Ch. 48:

"You can give us a DNA sample." John said.

Lily and The Doctor stared at him.

"Like hell we will." Lily said.

"No." the Doctor said simply at the same time.

"It would clear matters up." John said.

"Let's drop the pretense." Lily said. "The only reason I haven't blown you through the back wall is that you once meant something to Jack. So tell me why you want our DNA, and I'll consider not dropping you off the highest point I can find."

John stared at her a moment before snapping his fingers. Two of his men rushed the three Time Lords and two Humans, only to be thrown back by a gold barrier.

"I'm trying very hard to be reasonable." Lily said, her eyes glowing. "I mean, I'm trying, which is a step forward for me, am I right?"

She directed the last question at the Doctor.

"Gold star." He replied sarcastically.

"Oh, you're no help." Lily told him. "The point is, I'm actively trying to not kill you, but if you touch my family, I will drop you off the highest point I can find. Now why do you want our DNA? The real reason, please."

"There are cracks in time." John said reluctantly.

Lily and the Doctor froze.

"Mum?" Jenny asked. "Cracks? Like the one Lance came through?"

"Lance?" The Doctor demanded.

Lily winced.

"Yeah." She said. "Long story. Lance showed up at the wedding. It was a whole thing. I'll explain later."

"Un huh." The Doctor replied. "Anything else you failed to mention about the latest thing to screw up our lives?"

"Oi, you leave for six months, you miss out on a lot of stuff." Lily told him crossly. "It's going to take you time to get caught up."

"Who's Lance?" Amy asked.

"Best friend's homicidal ex fiancé we thought we had gotten rid of." Lily explained.

"Homicidal?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, teamed up with a giant spider." Lily replied. "Really creepy pairing. I really don't like to think about how it worked."

"Can we get back on subject?" John interrupted.

"Ah, yes, the subject of how we are not giving you our DNA." The Doctor agreed.

"What do you want it for?" Lily demanded.

"Just to prove your Time Lords." John told them.

Lily glanced at Jenny and a second later she had John's arm twisted behind his back and Jenny had her dagger at his throat. John's men started forward.

"Ah ah ah." Lily said, twisting John's arm harder. "Tell your men to back off if you want to survive."

The Doctor sighed.

"You two are incredibly violent." He told them.

Lily just grinned at him.

"Are they always like this?" Rory asked.

"Most of the time, yeah." The Doctor replied.

"How have you not gotten killed?" the man asked.

"Please." Lily said. "He is way more likely to get me killed then the other way around."

"Jack wouldn't want you to kill me." John interrupted.

"You got Owen and Tosh killed." Lily hissed. "You killed part of my family. Jack won't give a damn if you die. Now tell your men to back off and then tell me what you want our DNA for."

John gulped before carefully nodding to his men.

"DNA?" Lily repeated.

"You're Time Lords." John said. "Your DNA is directly tied to your ability to manipulate time, so I thought something in it might be able to help us seal the cracks."

Lily and the Doctor exchanged a look.

_It's not a bad idea, actually. _ The Doctor said. _I mean, it's wrong, but it's pretty brilliant._

Jenny leaned over and touched her mother's arm.

_I don't want to be left out._ She said, entering their bond.

_Like we could._ Lily said, smiling warmly. _But what do we do about Johnny-boy?_

_Knock him out and make a run for it?_ Jenny suggested.

_If we do that, and he tracked us here, he'll just find us again._ The Doctor replied. _We need to convince him that the answer doesn't lie in our DNA._

_Does it? _ Jenny asked.

_No._ Lily replied. _I'm directly linked to the vortex, and I don't have the power to heal the cracks. Whatever the answer to it is, we don't have it yet. We just don't have enough information._

_So what do we do? _ The Doctor asked.

Jenny and Lily exchanged a look.

"Oh, no." The Doctor said aloud. "No, no, no, no, no."

"Come on, it's a great plan!" Jenny complained.

"You cannot strand a group of Time Agents in Earth's past!" The Doctor told her.

"Dad!" she whined.

"Theta!" Lily whined at the same time.

"No." he replied.

"You are ruining our fun." Lily told him, pouting.

"You're right." The Doctor said.

"Of course I am." Lily said, smiling. "About what?"

"I shouldn't be worrying about Jack's influence on our daughter." The Doctor said. "I should be worrying about yours."

"Hey!" Lily yelped.

She and the Doctor glared at each other for a moment before Lily finally sighed.

"Fine." She ground out. "Okay, here's the deal, John. You leave and we leave and you forget any idea you have of getting our DNA. In exchange, my daughter and I don't spread your atoms across the universe. Agreed?"

"You wouldn't." John said confidently.

Lily looked at the Doctor, who shrugged. She grinned and held up a glowing hand.

"Okay, fine." John said quickly. "We'll leave you alone."

"Good choice." Lily told him.

She nodded to Jenny, who stepped back as Lily pushed him to the ground.

"I'd stay away from Earth from now on, if I were you." Lily told him.

"Can we go now?" Amy asked.

Lily laughed.

"Are we boring you?" she asked her friend.

"Well you did promise me a party." Amy replied, shrugging.

The Doctor shook his head. He wrapped his arms around his mate and his daughter and herded them all outside.

* * *

"So, Jenny and I erased his memories and then we went on with a fantastic wedding." Lily said.

They all sat around the kitchen, drinks in hand.

"I wish I could have been there." The Doctor said, sitting between his daughter and mate.

"Me too." Lily replied, laying her head on his shoulder.

They sat there in silence for a moment.

"So, you ready to come with us?" The Doctor asked Jenny.

"Actually, that was the reason I called." She replied, setting her drink on the table. "I wanted to talk to you and mum about what I do now."

"Well, you're always welcome here, you know that." Lily said, reaching over and squeezing her hand.

"Yeah, come with us." Amy said, Rory nodding right next to her.

"Thanks." Jenny said, smiling. "I really love traveling." She grinned at her father. "Especially the running."

The Doctor grinned.

"But," she continued, "I was created to be a soldier. I've come to realize I need a purpose. More than just aimlessly roaming."

"You could always go back to Torchwood." Lily said. "Your uncle would welcome the help."

"Eh." Jenny said. "As much as I would love spending time with Aunt Donna and Aunt Martha, and meet Uncle Jack, I don't know if I can stand staying on one planet."

"So you want to stay in one place, but not on one planet." Rory summed up. "I don't think that's possible."

"Actually," the Doctor said thoughtfully, "I might have an idea."

* * *

"Liz!" the Doctor called.

The group stood around the TARDIS as the Queen approached.

"Hello, Doctor." She replied, smiling.

"I take it you and the star whale are getting along just fine." He said.

"Yes we are." She replied, glancing at Lily. "Phoenix, it's an honor to meet you."

"And you, your majesty." Lily replied, shaking her hand.

"Please, Liz." The woman replied.

"And I'm Lily." The Time Lord told her, smiling. "Thank you for delivering my message to my mate."

"My pleasure." Liz replied. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"It's more what we can do for you." The Doctor told her. "Our daughter, Jenny, apparently needs some purpose or something to feel fulfilled. And we thought, a Queen with a slowed down clock might benefit from a nearly immortal companion."

"We thought she could stay with you, protect you and help you." Lily told her. "She was born a soldier. She'd be a good asset."

"You want to be my bodyguard?" Liz asked Jenny.

Jenny glanced at her parents before straightening her back.

"I'd like to help you." Jenny replied. "I'd like a purpose."

Liz studied Jenny a moment before smiling.

"I think we can find that for you." She told the Time Lord.

Lily smiled and wrapped her arm around her daughter.

"We're just a phone call away." She told her daughter. "All you have to do is call."

"I know, mum." Jenny said, hugging her mother.

"Make sure you keep in touch." The Doctor told her.

"I will, dad." Jenny replied, letting go of her mother and hugged her father tightly.

"I love you, Jenny." He whispered.

"I love you, too." Jenny replied, letting go of him and turning to Amy and Rory.

"It was great meeting you." She told them.

"You too, Jenny." Rory replied, wrapping his arm around Amy as she nodded.

"Well, we should go and let you get to work." Lily said softly.

"Mum…" Jenny trailed off.

Lily reached over and took Jenny's face between her hands.

_I love you so much. _She told her daughter.

Jenny smiled sadly.

_I love you, too, mum._ She replied.

Lily smiled one last time and kissed Jenny's forehead, before taking the Doctor's hand and leading him and Amy and Rory into the TARDIS. They walked up to the monitor and the Time Lords looked at their daughter one last time before sending the TARDIS into flight.

A/N: Okay, I'm done with my story. I hope you guys liked it and we are finally back to the real story. Tell me what you thought.

Abbey


	49. The Hungry Earth: Holes in the Ground

Disclaimer: If I promise to let go of the Doctor, I'm going to need something in return. So what you got?

Ch. 49:

"Behold…" the Doctor said, throwing open the doors. "Rio!"

The landscape in front of them was a cemetery. Amy and Rory stepped out into the chilly, bleak atmosphere, dressed for warm weather, while Lily stood leaning in the door way, her hair in a loose bun, held in place by her screwdriver.

"Nuh-uh." Amy said.

"Not really getting the sunshine carnival vibe." Rory said.

"You're an idiot." Lily told the Doctor.

"No." he replied, walking forward. "Ooh, feel that, though, what's that?" He bounced in place. "Ground feels strange…Am I right?"

Lily sighed and stepped forward. When her foot hit the ground, she froze for a second before pulling the screwdriver out of her hair and pointing it at the ground.

"See?" the Doctor said. "That's weird."

"What's weird?" Rory asked.

"Doctor, stop trying to distract us, and Lily, stop enabling him." Amy said. "We're in the wrong place."

The Doctor ran around to the other side of the nearby church as Lily continued to scan the ground and Amy continued to talk.

"Doctor, it's freezing and I've dressed for Rio." She complained. "We are not stopping here."

The Doctor bent down and plucked some grass.

"Doctor!" she shouted. "You listening to me? It's a graveyard! You promised me a beach."

"Blue grass." The Doctor mused, ignoring her.

"I've got it over here, too." Lily called.

"Patches of it all round the graveyard." The Doctor said as his mate joined him, putting her hair back up with her screwdriver, followed by Amy and Rory. "So, Earth, 2020-ish, ten years in your future, wrong continent for Rio, I'll admit, but it's not a massive overshoot."

"Yeah, in the scheme of your overshoots, Wales instead of Rio is relatively minor." Lily agreed.

"Thank you." The Doctor said before pausing. "I think…"

"Oh, thinking never ends well for you." Lily said.

"Why are those people waving at us?" Amy asked, pointing at two people on a far off hill.

"Can't be." Lily murmured.

Rory started to wave back, but Amy stopped him as the Doctor took out a pair of binoculars and looked through them.

"It is!" he said. "It's you two."

"No, we're here." Rory replied. "How can we be up there?"

"Ten years in your future." The Doctor said. "Come to relive past glories, I'd imagine. Humans, you're nostalgic."

"Says the man who wouldn't know nostalgia if it came up and bit him." Lily muttered and he elbowed her which caused her to stick her tongue out at him.

"We're still together in ten years?" Amy asked.

"No need to sound so surprised!" Rory told her.

"Hey, let's go and talk to them!" Amy said. "We can say hi to Future Us! How cool is that?"

She took Rory by the arm and started off, but Lily grabbed her by the collar of her shirt.

"No, best not, really best not." The Doctor told her. "These things get complicated very quickly."

"And consider I'm enjoying my continued existence, I don't particularly want to bring the reapers down on our heads because you wanted to say hello." Lily added.

"What's a reaper?" Rory asked.

"Oh, look!" the Doctor exclaimed, pointing. "Big mining thing. Oh, I love a big mining thing. See, way better than Rio!"

"Speak for yourself." Lily muttered.

"Rio doesn't have a big mining thing." The Doctor shot back.

"We're not going to have a look, are we?" Amy asked.

"What do you really think the chances of him saying no are?" Lily asked her.

"Let's go and have a look!" the Doctor said, grabbing Lily's hand and dragging her down into the valley. "Come on, let's see what they're doing."

"If he can't get us to Rio, how's he ever going to get us back home?" Rory asked.

"Did you not see, over there?" Amy replied. "It all works out fine. Besides, I get the feeling that Lily is a better driver than him, but she lets him drive because it makes him happy. If he can't get us home, she can."

"After everything we've seen, we just drop back into our old lives, the nurse and the kissogram?" Rory asked.

"I guess." Amy replied. "They're getting away."

She took him by the arm.

"Hang on." He said, spotting something on her finger. "What are you doing with that?"

"Engagement ring!" she said. "I thought you liked me wearing it."

"Amy!" Rory protested. "You could lose it! Cost…a lot of money, that!"

"Hm." Amy said, taking it off and handing it to him. "Spoilsport."

"Go on." He told her. "I'll catch you up."

He turned and headed back to the TARDIS.

"Doctor!" Amy called, running off. "Lily!"

Rory entered the TARDIS and put the ring back in its box before setting it on the console and walking back out. Outside, a woman was waiting for him.

"Well, that was quick!" she said.

"Was it?" Rory asked, confused.

"It's great that you came." She told him.

"Bit retro." The little boy standing next to her said, looking at the TARDIS. "What is it, portable crime lab?"

"Oh." Rory said, glancing back at the time ship. "Er, sort of."

"Ambrose Northover." The woman said, introducing herself. "I was the one who called. I run the meals on wheels for the whole valley. This is my son, Elliot."

"Where's your uniform?" Elliot asked.

"Don't be cheeky, Elliot, he's plain clothes." His mother rebuked him. "CID, is it? Anyway, it's over here."

She walked off and, not knowing what to do, Rory followed.

* * *

The Doctor, Lily, and Amy arrived at the drill site to find their way blocked by a locked gate.

"Restricted access." The Doctor read. "No unauthorized personnel. Mm."

He used his screwdriver on the lock and opened it.

"That is breaking and entering." Amy told him.

"What did I break?" he demanded. "Sonicing and entering, totally different."

He opened the gate as Lily shook her head at him.

"Come on, then." Amy said as she walked through.

"You're sure Rory'll catch up?" Lily asked, glancing back.

* * *

Ambrose, Elliot, and Rory stood looking down into an open grave.

"It's a family plot, see." Ambrose told Rory. "My aunt Gladys died six years ago. Her husband, Alun, died a few weeks back. He lived in the house two doors down. There's not many of us left up here now."

"Mum, he doesn't care about that!" Elliot interrupted. "He wants to know about the dead bodies."

"Yes, sorry." Ambrose said. "Well, they always wanted to be buried in the same plot, together. But when we went to bury Uncle Alun, Gladys wasn't there. Gone. Body, coffin, everything."

"What?" Rory asked.

"The mad thing is, on the surface, the grave was untouched." She told him. "No signs of it having been messed with."

"I'm sorry, I don't understand." He told her.

"Nobody has touched the grave since my aunt was buried." Ambrose said. "But when they dug it open, the body was gone. How is that possible?"

* * *

The Doctor walked with Lily and Amy through the halls.

"What about now, can you feel it now?" the Doctor asked.

"Honestly, I've got no idea what you two are on about." Amy said.

"The ground doesn't feel like it should." The Doctor told her.

"I'm the first one to say he's crazy, but he's right this time." Lily said. "The ground feels strange."

"It's ten years in the future, maybe how this ground feels is how it always feels." Amy said.

"Good thought!" the Doctor said. "But no. It doesn't."

A whirring sound started.

"That's a drill in start-up mode." Lily said.

"After waves of a recent seismological shift and blue grass." The Doctor said.

He pulled out some of the grass and put it in his mouth before making a face and pulling it off his tongue.

"Oh, please!" Amy said. "Have you always been this disgusting?"

"No, that's recent." The Doctor said.

"Oh, come off it." Lily protested as he walked off. "Do I need to remind you of the tasting of the sand full of a dead civilization? I couldn't get that taste out of my mouth for weeks!"

Amy looked at her strangely and she shrugged.

"I didn't know he'd done it and I kissed him." Lily told her.

Amy laughed and linked her arm through the Time Lord's as they followed the Doctor.

"What's in…" the Doctor said as he approached a room, "here? Hello!"

An Indian woman looked up at him, surprised.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "What're you doing here?" She caught sight of Amy in her skirt and boots and Lily in her tank top and vest. "And what are you wearing?"

"We dressed for Rio!" Amy protested.

"Ministry of Drills, Earth, and Science!" the Doctor said, flashing the psychic paper. "New Ministry, quite big, just merged, lot of responsibility on our shoulders, don't like to talk about it. What're you doing?"

"None of your business." The woman replied.

The Doctor ignored her and walked up to some monitors.

"Were are you getting these readings from?" he asked.

"Under the soil." She replied as she removed equipment from a hole in the floor.

Another man entered the room.

"The drill's up and running again." He said before spotting the Doctor and company. "What's going on? Who are these people?"

The Doctor knelt by the hole and tested the soil before letting it fall from his hand.

"Amy, Lily, the Doctor." Amy introduced them as Lily went to the Doctor's side. "We're not staying, are we, Doctor? Lily!"

"Why do you have a giant hole in your floor?" Lily asked.

"We don't know, it just appeared overnight." The woman replied.

Amy walked closer to the hole and peered into it.

"Good, right." The Doctor said, getting to his feet quickly and pulling Lily with him. "You all need to get out of here very fast."

He went to a monitor, taking Lily with him.

"Why?" the woman asked.

"What's your name?" the Doctor asked her.

"Nasreen Chaudhry." She replied.

"Look at the screens, Nasreen, your readings." He told her. "It's moving."

Amy knelt next to the hole.

"Hey, that's specialized equipment!" the man protested, walking over to the Doctor. "Get away from it."

"What is?" Nasreen asked.

There was stream rising from the dirt in the hole.

"Doctor, this steam, is that a good thing?" Amy called.

"Shouldn't think so." The Doctor said, looking over his shoulder before walking over to her. "It's shifting when it shouldn't be shifting."

"What shouldn't?" Nasreen asked.

The ground began to shake.

"The ground." Lily answered. "The soil, the earth, moving, but how?"

The Doctor ran back to the monitors.

"Why?" he asked.

"Earthquake?" Amy suggested.

"What's going on?" the man demanded.

"Doubt it." The Doctor said. "Cause it's only happening under this room."

More holes appeared as the ground shook.

"It knows we're here." Lily said softly. "The ground is attacking us."

"No, that's not possible!" Nasreen protested.

"Under the circumstances, I suggest…RUN!" the Doctor yelled.

The Doctor grabbed Lily's hand before grabbing Nasreen and pulling her towards the door. The man followed, but the ground collapsed around him and Amy stopped.

"Tony!" Nasreen yelled.

"Stay back, Amy!" Lily yelled.

"Stay away from the Earth!" the Doctor told her.

Amy leapt over a hole to help Tony.

"It's okay." She told him.

The ground opened up underneath her and she was trapped.

A/N: Hungry Earth begins. Let me know what you think!

Abbey


	50. The Hungry Earth: Taken by the Earth

Disclaimer: I would give my life for one day with the Doctor. Who sad does that make me?

Ch. 50:

"It's pulling me down!" Amy yelled.

"Amy!" the Doctor yelled as he and Lily ran to her.

"Doctor, help me!" Amy begged. "Something's got me!"

"Lily, do something!" the Doctor shouted.

"Do what?" Lily demanded, panicking. "The freaking ground's attacking! What the hell do you suggest I do?"

The Doctor stretched out on his stomach and reached for Amy.

"Doctor, the ground's got my legs." Amy told him as she sank to her waist.

"I've got you." The Doctor said as he grabbed one arm and Lily grabbed the other.

"Okay." Amy said, holding both of them tightly.

Behind them, Nasreen helped Tony out of the hole he was in.

"Don't let go."Amy begged.

"We won't." Lily told her. "Never."

"What is it?" Amy asked. "Why is it doing this?"

"Stay calm, keep hold of my hand, don't let go." The Doctor told her. "Your drill, shut it down! Go! Now!"

Nasreen and Tony ran from the room.

"Can you get me out?" Amy asked, looking at Lily.

"Just stay calm." Lily told her. "If you struggle, it'll make it worse. Just keep hold of our hands, Amy. Just hold on."

"We're not going to let you go." The Doctor told her.

Amy's hands began to slip as she sank lower.

"It's pulling me down." She cried. "Something's pulling me!"

"Stay calm." The Doctor said as he and Lily tried to hold on. "Hold on, if they can just shut down the drill…"

"I can't hold on!" Amy shouted.

"Lily!" The Doctor shouted.

She glanced at him and back at Amy before she let go of Amy and ran out of the room.

She ran straight to the room were Nasreen and Tony were working at the controls.

"It's going too slow!" she shouted. "Shut the damn thing down!"

"I'm doing my best!" Tony shouted back.

"Move!" Lily said, shoving him aside.

She slammed her hands down on the console and her eyes burst into flame.

* * *

The Doctor strained to hold on to Amy as she sank even further.

"What's pulling me?" Amy demanded. "What is under the Earth? I don't want to suffocate under there."

"Amy, concentrate." The Doctor told her. "Don't you give up!"

"Tell Rory…" she said.

"No." The Doctor interrupted. "Amy!" She sank even lower. "Amy, no!" Amy sank below the dirt. "No! No!"

The Doctor began to dig through the dirt.

"No!" he shouted. "No! No! No! No! No! No!"

He stood up and pointed the sonic screwdriver at the ground as Lily ran back in, Nasreen and Tony behind her.

"Amy?" Lily asked. "Doctor, where is she?"

"She's gone." He replied. "The ground took her."

Lily clasped her hands over her mouth as they stared at the hole.

* * *

Rory stood in the grave, jumping up and down like the Doctor had.

"Do you want sugar?" Elliot asked as Rory put his hands on the side.

"Sorry?" Rory asked.

"In your tea." The boy replied. "Mum's asking."

"No." Rory replied. "Just white, thanks."

"There's only one explanation, as far as I can see." Elliot told him.

"What's that, then?" Rory asked.

"The graves eat people." The boy answered. "Devour them whole, leaving no trace."

"Not sure about that." Rory replied.

"They didn't steal the body from above." Elliot pointed out. "They couldn't have got in from the sides. Only other thing is, they get in from underneath."

"Not very likely, though." Rory told him.

"When you've eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

"Sorry?" Rory asked.

"Sherlock Holmes." Elliot replied. "Got the audiobook. The graves round here eat people."

Rory shuddered as he watched the boy walk away.

* * *

"Is that what happened to Mo?" Tony asked. "Are they dead?"

"It's not quicksand." The Doctor said. "She didn't just sink-something pulled her in, it wanted her."

"The ground wanted her?" Nasreen asked.

"You said the ground was dormant," Lily said, "just a patch of earth, when you first saw it this morning. And the drill was stopped."

"That's right." Tony replied.

"But when you re-started the drill, the ground fought back." She said.

"So what, the ground wants to stop us drilling?" Nasreen demanded. "That's ridiculous."

The Doctor leaned down and used the screwdriver on the hole Amy was taken through. As he turned it on, the ground began to vibrate.

"I'm not saying that, and it's not ridiculous, I just don't think it's right." The Doctor said. "Oh! Of course! It's bio-programming!"

"What?" Nasreen demanded.

"That can't be right." Lily said, pointing her own screwdriver at the hole and checking his readings.

"Bio-programming!" the Doctor repeated, standing up and clapping his hands. "Oh, clever. You use bio-signals to resonate the internal molecular structure of natural objects! It's mainly used in engineering and construction, mostly jungle planets."

"But that's way in the future." Lily said, standing up. "Not here. What's it doing here?"

"Sorry, did you just say jungle planets?" Nasreen asked.

"You're not making any sense, either of you!" Tony exclaimed.

"Excuse me, we're making perfect sense, you're just not keeping up." The Doctor replied. "The Earth, the ground beneath our feet, was bio-programmed to attack."

"Yeah, even if that were possible, which, by the way, it's not, why?" Nasreen asked.

"To stop you drilling." Lily replied. "We need to find what's doing the bio-programming and we need to find Amy and get her back."

"Shh! Shh! Shh!" The Doctor said suddenly. "Have I gone mad? I've gone mad!"

"Doctor." Nasreen said.

"No, he's right, shh." Lily said, turning on the spot.

"You stopped the drill, right?" the Doctor asked.

"Stopped it dead." Lily confirmed. "If it still looks like a drill, I'd be surprised."

"And you've only got the one drill?" The Doctor asked.

"Yes!" Nasreen confirmed.

"You're sure about that?" he asked.

"Yes!" Tony answered.

The Doctor lied down on his stomach next to the hole, listening.

"So, if you shut the drill down…" he murmured, "why can I still hear drilling? It's under the ground."

"That's not possible." Tony said.

The Doctor stood and rushed over to the machinery, Lily following behind him, and used the screwdriver on them.

"Oh, no, what-what are you doing?" Nasreen demanded.

"Hacking into your records." The Doctor replied. "Reports, samples, sensors, good, just unite the data, make it all one big conversations, let's have a look. So." He brought all of the data on to one screen. "We are here and this is your drill hole. 21.009 kilometers. Well done!"

"Thank you." Nasreen replied. "It's taken us a long time."

"Why here, though?" Lily asked. "Why drill on this site?"

"We found patches of grass in this area, containing trace minerals unseen in this country for 20 million years." Nasreen told them.

"The blue grass?" The Doctor asked. "Oh, Nasreen, those trace minerals weren't X marking the spot, saying dig here. They were a warning. Stay away. 'Cause while you've been drilling down…somebody else has been drilling up."

Lily reached over and pulled up a screen showing a vertical network of tunnels.

"Oh, beautiful." The Doctor said. "Network of tunnels all the way down."

"No, no, we've surveyed that area." Tony replied.

"You only saw what you went looking for." Lily replied.

"What are they?" Nasreen asked, pointing to a blip on the bottom of the screen.

"Heat signals." The Doctor replied. "Wait, dual readings, hot and cold, doesn't make sense. And now they're moving. Fast. How many people live nearby?"

"Just my daughter and her family." Tony replied. "The rest of the staff travel in."

"Grab this equipment and follow me." The Doctor said, heading for the door.

"Why?" Nasreen demanded. "What're we doing?"

"That noise isn't a drill." The Doctor told her, stopping and turning around. "It's a transport. Three of them, 30km down, rate of speed looks about 150km an hour. Should be here in…ooh, quite soon, 12 minutes." Lily picked up one of the computers and handed it to him. "Whatever bio-programmed the Earth is on its way up, now."

_What about Rory?_ Lily asked as Nasreen and Tony packed up the other computer. _What are we going to do?_

_We get Amy back._ The Doctor replied. _Safe and sound._

Lily looked at him for a moment before nodding.

* * *

"How can something be coming up when there's only the Earth's crust down there?" Tony asked.

He and the Doctor carried the computers, while Nasreen pushed a wheelbarrow full of equipment and Lily kept a look out.

"You saw the readings!" the Doctor insisted.

"Who are you, anyway?" Nasreen demanded. "How can you two know all this?"

There was a whirring sound and red lights streaked across the sky. Lily quickly reacted and threw up a gold shield around the four of them.

"Whoa, did you see that?" Nasreen demanded. "What is this gold thing?"

"No, no, no!" the Doctor murmured. "Lily, lower the shield."

She did as he asked as he pulled out a slingshot. He picked up a rock and shot it at the sky. It hit a force field and a red light streaked out from the impact. As he took his screwdriver out to scan the sky, a bolt of power roared away from Lily, striking the force field.

"Geez!" the Doctor complained, flinching away from her. "Could you have warned me you were going to do that?"

"That thing is drawing power directly from the Earth's core." Lily complained, ignoring him. "I can't break it down."

"What the hell was that?" Rory demanded as he joined them, followed by a shaken Elliot and Ambrose.

"That was Lily doing her best to scare everyone." The Doctor replied.

"Right." Rory said slowly. "Something weird's going on here. The graves are eating people."

"Not now, Rory!" the Doctor told him. "Energy barricade. Invisible to the naked eye. We can't get out and no one from the outside world can get in."

"What?" Rory exclaimed. "Okay, what about the TARDIS?"

"The what?" Nasreen demanded.

"Those energy patterns would play havoc with her circuits." Lily answered. "With a bit of time, I could probably reroute power to make it work, but we've only got nine and a half minutes."

"Nine and a half minutes to what?" Rory asked.

"We're trapped." Nasreen replied. "And something's burrowing towards the surface."

"Where's Amy?" Rory asked, looking around.

"Get everyone inside the church!" the Doctor ordered, picking up the computer. "Rory, I'll get her back."

"What d'you mean, get her back?" Rory demanded. "Where's she gone?"

"She was taken." The Doctor replied. "Into the Earth."

"How?" Rory shouted. "Why didn't you stop it?"

"I tried." The Doctor said, putting the case down. "I promise, I tried."

"Well, you should've tried harder!" Rory yelled angrily.

"Rory." Lily said, walking up to him and grabbing him by the arms. "We're going to get her back. I swear to you, we will get her back. Safe and sound. I promise you, we won't let her get hurt. We will find her."

"We'll keep you all safe." The Doctor said, picking up the case and headed towards the church. "I promise. Come on, please. I need you alongside me."

Nasreen, Tony, Elliot, and Ambrose followed him, but Lily and Rory hung back. Rory looked at Lily and she squeezed his arm, smiling softly. He took a deep breath and nodded. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and they followed the Doctor into the church.

A/N: I know it's been a long time. Please don't kill me! Anyway, let me know what you thought. I'll just be under my desk until the bullets stop flying.

Abbey


	51. The Hungry Earth: They're Coming

Disclaimer: If I owned Doctor Who, I wouldn't be driving my family nuts waiting for the Christmas Special.

Ch. 51:

"Where's Mo?" Ambrose demanded as Tony tried to open the door to the church.

"This flamin' door!" Tony said, ignoring her. "Always sticking! I thought you were having it fixed!"

"Dad!" Ambrose shouted.

"Something's happened to him, hasn't it?" Elliot said.

* * *

The Doctor, Lily, Nasreen, and Tony were setting up equipment in the church.

"So we can't get out, we can't contact anyone." Ambrose summed up. "And something, the something that took my husband, is coming up through the Earth."

"Yes." The Doctor said. "If we move quickly enough, we can be ready."

"No, stop." Ambrose demanded. "This has gone far enough. What is this?"

"He's telling the truth, love." Tony told her.

"Come on!" Ambrose protested. "It's not the first time we've had no mobile or phone signals. Reception's always rubbish."

"Look, Ambrose, we saw the Doctor's friend get taken, okay?" Nasreen told her. "We saw what the Phoenix did to the drill. You saw the lightning in the sky. I have seen the impossible today, and the only people who've made any sense of it, for me, is the Phoenix and the Doctor."

"Them?" Ambrose demanded.

"Us." Lily replied.

"Can you get my dad back?" Elliot asked suddenly.

Everyone turned back to look at the Doctor and Lily, who moved to stand in front of him. The Doctor gently put his arm on hers and she backed down.

"Yes." The Doctor said, walking towards Ambrose. "But I need you to trust me and do exactly as I say from this second onwards because we're running out of time."

"So tell us what to do." Ambrose said.

"Thank you." The Doctor replied. "We have eight minutes to set up a line of defense. Bring me every phone, camera, every piece of recording or transmitting equipment you can find."

Rory started going through the all the small electronics he could collect.

"Every burglar alarm, every movement sensor, every security light." The Doctor continued. "I want the whole area covered with sensors."

Ambrose and Rory began hooking up cameras at ideal positions and Lily used her screwdriver on them.

The monitor inside continued to show the progress of whatever was approaching.

"Right, we need to be ready for whatever's coming up." The Doctor said, turning to Elliot. "I need a map of the village, marking where the cameras are going."

"I can't do the words." Elliot told him. "I'm dyslexic."

"Oh, that's all right, I can't make a decent meringue." The Doctor told him.

"It's true." Lily added as she walked up to them. "Last time he tried, he blew up the kitchen."

"Says the woman who set fire to the kitchen by making a grilled cheese sandwich." The Doctor said as she kissed his cheek. "Draw like your life depends on it, Elliot."

The boy ran off and the Doctor checked the time.

"6 minutes 40." He murmured.

Lily squeezed his hand before moving back to Rory and Ambrose as Elliot began to draw. Nasreen watched the time countdown and Tony pulled up an overlay of the village.

"Works in quadrants, every movement sensor and trip light we've got." He told them. "If anything moves, we'll know."

"Good lad!" the Doctor said, patting him on the back.

* * *

The Doctor looked through Ambrose's van as she walked by, her arms full of gardening tools.

"Oi!" she exclaimed. "What're you doing?"

"Resources!" the Doctor replied. "Every little helps! Meals on wheels. What've you got here then, warmer in the front, refrigerated in the back?"

"Bit chilly for a hideout, mind." Ambrose said as she set her things down in the front of the van.

"What are those?" he asked.

"Like you say, every little helps." She replied.

"No!" the Doctor said. "No weapons. It's not the way I do things."

"You said we're supposed to defend ourselves." Ambrose protested.

"Oh, Ambrose, you're better than this." He told her. "I'm asking nicely. Put them away."

They jumped as there was a loud bomb and Lily appeared in a flash of gold on the ground.

"Can you stop doing that?" the Doctor demanded, helping her to her feet.

"That son of a bitch won't let me through." Lily complained. "I'm torn between wanting to find the tech that produced it and study it and finding it and beating it, and it's operator, to a pulp."

"Well, first you need to find it." The Doctor told her.

"Why do you have to ruin my daydreams like that?" she pouted.

"Because it's just so much fun." He replied, leaning down to kiss her. "Come on."

He led her back towards the church. Ambrose took one last look at the tools before following them.

* * *

The countdown was at 3:23 as Elliot showed the Doctor his map and Lily walked over to help continue to put up cameras.

"Look at that!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Perfect! Dyslexia never stopped Da Vinci or Einstein, it's not stopping you."

"I don't understand what you're going to do." Elliot told him.

"Two phase plan." The Doctor replied. "First, the sensors and cameras will tell us when something arrives. Second, if something does arrive, I use this to send a sonic pulse through that network of device, a pulse which would temporarily incapacitate most things in the universe."

"Knock 'em out." Elliot said. "Cool."

"Lovely place to grow up, round here." the Doctor commented.

"Suppose." Elliot said lackluster-ly. "I want to live in a city one day. Soon as I'm old enough, I'll be off."

"I was the same, where I grew up." The Doctor told him.

"Did you get away?" Elliot asked.

"Yeah." The Doctor said.

"Do you ever miss it?" the boy asked.

"So much." The Time Lord replied.

"Is it monsters coming?" Elliot asked softly. "Have you met monsters before?"

"Yeah." The Doctor told him.

"You scared of them?" he asked.

"No!" the Doctor exclaimed. "They're scared of me."

"Are you scared of anything?" Elliot asked.

"Of course he is." Lily said, coming up behind the boy.

"What?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"Me, of course!" Lily told him, kneeling down so she was level with him.

Elliot turned to look at the Doctor, who nodded very quickly, making the boy laugh.

"Will you get my dad back?" the boy asked, sobering quickly.

Lily reached out and gently squeezed the boy's hand.

"Of course we will." She told him, smiling.

"No question." The Doctor said, turning back to the computers.

Lily squeezed his hand again and got up, heading over to Rory.

"I left my headphones at home." Elliot said, leaving as the Doctor continued to work.

They had just over a minute.

* * *

"Hey." Lily said as she walked over to the man.

"Hey." Rory said softly.

He walked outside and Lily followed.

"How are you doing?" she asked softly.

Rory looked at her and she sighed.

"We'll get her back, Rory." She told him. "I swear to you, we'll get her back. And I don't abandon my companions. Even when they're more his than mine."

"What do you mean?" Rory asked.

"Well, it's like when you're friends with another couple, but really the guys only hang out together because the girls are friends." Lily told him. "But not really." She laughed at his expression. "I'm really bad at explaining things, aren't I? Dear Lord, I sound like him. Okay look, Amy is his companion because he's closer to her, just like you're really my companion because I'm closer to you. Make sense?"

"Not really, no." Rory said, laughing slightly.

"Okay, let's put it this way." Lily said. "In the divorce? He get's Amy, I get you."

Rory laughed at that.

"Who's getting divorced?" the Doctor asked, coming up behind Lily.

"You and me." Lily said, looking at him over her shoulder. "You get Amy, I get Rory and the TARDIS."

"Yeah, in your dreams." He replied, rolling his eyes.

"Which part?" Lily asked. "The divorce or the getting Rory and the TARDIS?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure." He replied. "How's it going?"

"It's getting darker." Rory said, looking up at the sky. "How can it be getting dark so quickly?"

"They're shutting out light from within the barricade." Lily replied, also looking up. "They're trying to isolate us in the dark."

"Which means…" The Doctor trailed off as they heard a rumbling. "It's here."

* * *

The trio collected Ambrose and made their way back to the church. Ambrose went to open the door, but it stuck fast.

"I can't open it!" she said. "It keeps sticking! The wood's warped."

The Doctor went to help her.

"Any time you want to help!" he told the other two.

"Do you want it to function as a door after you get it open?" Lily asked.

"Of course." The Doctor replied.

"Then you don't want me to open it." Lily shot back.

"Can't you sonic it?" Rory asked.

"It doesn't do wood!" the Doctor told him.

"That is rubbish!" Rory exclaimed.

"Oi!" Lily said, shoving his shoulder. "Don't diss the sonic!"

She and Rory went to help and the door finally opened. They ran inside and joined Nasreen and Tony as the door slammed shut behind them. Underneath them, the ground shook.

"See if we can get a fix." The Doctor said, running to the computers.

Items began falling off shelves.

"Get away from the walls." Lily ordered, herding them towards her as she put up a shield to protect them from the falling items.

The Doctor began to narrow down the area with Tony's program when the computers sparked and the power went out.

"Son of a bitch!" Lily swore.

"No power." Tony said.

"It's deliberate." The Doctor told them.

"What do we do now?" Rory asked.

Tony turned on a bright torch.

"Nothing." The Doctor replied. "We've got nothing! They sent an energy surge to wreck our systems."

"Is everyone okay?" Rory asked. "Is anyone hurt?"

"I'm fine." Nasreen said.

"I'm good." Tony replied.

"Me too." Ambrose added.

There was a loud rumbling.

"Doctor, Phoenix, what was that?" Rory asked.

"It's like the holes at the drill station." Tony said.

"Is this how they happened?" Nasreen asked.

The Doctor got down and put his ear to the ground.

"I really wish you wouldn't do that." Lily ground out. "It makes me very nervous."

"It's coming through the final layer of Earth." The Doctor said, ignoring her.

"What is?" Nasreen demanded.

The Doctor stood up quickly as silence descended.

"The banging's stopped." Tony said.

"Where's Elliot?" Ambrose asked, looking around. "Has anyone seen Elliot? Did he come in? Was he in when the door was shut? Who counted him back in? Who saw him last?"

"I did." The Doctor said.

"Where is he?" Ambrose demanded.

"He said he was going to get headphones." The Doctor replied.

"And you let him go?" Lily yelled at him. "He's a child Theta! How could you let him go by himself?"

"I didn't-I mean-" The Doctor sputtered.

"Well I guess it's a good thing we can't have children." Lily sneered.

The Doctor stared at her and Lily immediately regretted saying it.

"Doctor-" she said softly.

They broke off as they heard something pound on the door.

A/N: I know it's been forever, but I've been in a Doctor Who withdrawal depression. I'm sure it'll clear up after Christmas. Let me know what you guys think. Please, just don't kill me.

Abbey


	52. The Hungry Earth: Down We Go

Disclaimer: Please just leave me to die in peace. I don't think I'm going to last these last three days…Please let the Christmas Special come quickly.

Ch. 52:

Elliot stood pounding on the door.

"Mum!" he yelled. "Grandpa Tony! Let me in!"

"Elliot!" Ambrose cried, rushing to the door.

"Let me in." the boy yelled.

"He's out there!" Ambrose yelled. "Help me."

"Open the door!" Elliot cried. "Mum! There's something out here!"

Everyone rushed after Ambrose and worked to open the door.

"Push, Elliot!" Ambrose told him. "Push, Elliot!"

"Mum!" he yelled.

"Hurry up!" his mother ordered.

The pounding stopped as Elliot turned around.

"Mummy." He whimpered.

"Come on!" Tony yelled as the door opened.

"Elliot!" Ambrose yelled.

They rushed after her, but Elliot was gone.

"Where is he?" she demanded. "He was here. He was here! Elliot!"

"Ambrose, don't go running off!" the Doctor called as she ran into the graveyard.

"Ambrose!" Tony yelled, running after her.

"Elliot!" Ambrose called. "It's Mum!" She spotted his headphones on the ground. "No!"

Something knocked her to the ground and she looked up at it. It was some sort of humanoid-reptilian creature.

"Get off me!" she yelled.

Suddenly, Tony came and knocked the creature away from his daughter. It lashed out with its tongue in retaliation, hitting him in the neck before running away.

"Dad!" Ambrose cried, running to her father, who was obviously in pain.

"What happened?" The Doctor demanded as he, Lily, and Rory ran up.

"My dad's hurt." Ambrose replied.

"Get him into the church now!" Lily ordered.

"Elliot's gone." Ambrose said. "They've killed him, haven't they?"

"I don't think so." The Doctor said, exchanging a look with Lily. "They've taken three people, when they could've just killed them up here. There's still hope, Ambrose. There is always hope."

"Then why've they taken him?" Ambrose demanded, crying.

"I don't know." He told her. "I'll find Elliot, I promise. But first, we've gotta stop this attack. Please, get inside the church."

"Come on, Dad." Ambrose said, helping Tony.

The trio watched them head back to the church.

"So, what now?" Rory asked.

* * *

The Doctor walked down the street wearing sunglasses.

_I'm sorry_. Lily said softly.

_I knew that the moment you said it._ He replied. _What I don't know is why you said it. Do you really think that?_

_No!_ Lily said immediately. _Any child would be lucky to have you as a father. I was just lashing out. I just didn't understand how you could let a child wander off like that. _

_I wasn't paying attention._ The Doctor sighed. _I know it's not an excuse, it's just what happened. And I swear I won't stop until I find him again._

_I know you won't._ Lily replied. She hesitated before continuing. _You have to know I didn't mean it. I'm so sorry._

_I know, Lily-girl._ He told her. _We need to focus._

He felt Lily take a deep breath.

_Right. So what's with the sunglasses at night?_

_I wear my sunglasses at night, so I can, so I can…_He sang.

_Do not make me come over there._ She growled. _Can I get a real answer please?_

_See for yourself._

He let her into his mind to see through his eyes.

_They pick up heat signatures._ She said. _I want a pair._

_Maybe if you're good._ He replied.

Something moved in the bushes and he turned to look, but the glasses didn't pick anything up.

"Cold blood. I know who they are." He said in a sing-song voice.

_Why couldn't you have just landed in Rio? _Lily sighed.

* * *

The Doctor stood by the Meals on Wheels van, whistling. He took the fire extinguisher from the front seat and shut the door. In the window, he saw the reflection of the creature approaching. He spun out the way of its attack and sprayed it with the fire extinguisher. The creature screamed and Rory jumped out of the back, yelling, while Lily ran around from the other side. They pushed the creature into the refrigerated back and locked the door.

"We got it!" Rory exclaimed as Lily secured the back with her power.

"Defending the planet with Meals on Wheels!" the Doctor added.

They raised their hands to high five, but they were distracted by a rumbling in the ground.

"What was that?" Rory asked.

"It sounds like they're leaving." Lily said.

"Without this one?" Rory asked.

The darkness started to disperse as the Sun began to shine again.

"Looks like we scared them off!" Rory said happily.

"I don't think so." The Doctor said. "Now both sides have hostages."

* * *

Amy woke up to find herself inside a clear box, trapped.

"Let me out!" she yelled, pounding on the lid. "Can anybody hear me? I'm alive in here! Let me out! I know you're out there! My name is Amy Pond and you'd better get me the hell out of here or so help me I am going to kick your backside!"

A distorted figure appeared, leaning over her.

"Please?" she begged.

"Shh!" the figure told her.

"Did you just shush me?" Amy demanded, her voice getting louder. "Did you just shush me?"

Gas began to fill the box and she started to panic.

"No, no, no, don't do that." She begged. "No gas! No gas!"

She coughed and slipped back into unconsciousness.

* * *

Rory and Lily sat on a toppled grave marker as the Doctor came around from the front of the church.

"I've met these creatures before." He told them. "Different branch of the species, but all the same…" He walked to the basement door and Lily followed. "Let's see if our friend's thawed out!"

"Are you sure?" Rory asked as he followed them. "By yourselves?"

The creature was sitting on the floor in the shadows.

"Very sure." The Doctor replied.

"But the sting…" Rory protested.

"Venom gland takes at least 24 hours to recharge." The Doctor told him before turning to the creature. "Am I right? I know what I'm doing. We'll be fine."

"And when we're not, I'll be here to pull our collective asses out of the fire." Lily added, making Rory smile. "Go on, make sure the others are alright."

Rory nodded and left. The Doctor and Lily turned and walked down the remaining steps to the floor. With bound hands, the creature, which was very reptilian, with large black eyes, moved towards them.

"I'm the Doctor." The Time Lord told it with his hands up. "And the slightly threatening woman to my right is The Phoenix. We've come to talk. I'm going to remove your mask."

He squatted down and gently removed the creature's mask, revealing a female humanoid face.

"You are beautiful." He told her gently. "Remnant of a bygone age on planet Earth. And by the way, lovely mode of travel! Geothermal currents, projecting you up through a network of tunnels. Gorgeous!" He paused and looked around before grabbing a chair. "Mind if I sit? Now." He placed the chair in front of the creature and sat while Lily crossed her arms and leaned against the wall next to him. "Your people have a friend of ours. We want her back." He told her. "Why did you come to the surface? What do you want? Oh, I do hate a monologue. Give us a bit back. How many are you?"

"I'm the last of my species." The creature replied.

Lily growled and the Doctor shot her a look.

"Really?" he asked, returning to the creature in front of him. "No. 'Last of the species', the Klempari Defence. As an interrogation defense, it's a bit old hat, I'm afraid."

"I'm the last of my species." She repeated.

"No, you're not." Lily said, squatting down in front of her. "Wanna know how we know? Because we actually are the last of our species. We know how it feels and what it does to a person. So, insult us again by claiming that lie, and I'll break your neck. Understand?"

She got back up and walked back to her place, ignoring the glare the Doctor shot at her.

"Let's start again." He said finally. "Tell us your name."

"Alaya." She replied grudgingly.

"How long has your tribe been sleeping under the Earth, Alaya?" he asked. "It's not difficult to work out. You're 300 million years out of your comfort zone. Question is, what woke you now?"

"We were attacked." Alaya told him.

"The drill." The Doctor replied.

"Our sensors detected a threat to our life support systems." Alaya said. "The warrior class was activated to prevent the assault. We will wipe the vermin from the surface and reclaim our planet."

"Do we have to say vermin?" he asked her. "They're really very nice."

"Primitive apes." Alaya shot back.

"Extraordinary species." He told her. "You attack them, they'll fight back. But, there's a peace to be brokered here. We can help you with that."

"This land is ours." Alaya said. "We lived here long before the apes."

"Doesn't give you automatic rights to it now." Lily told her. "The Humans won't give up this planet."

"So we destroy them." Alaya replied.

"You underestimate them." The Doctor told her.

"You underestimate us." She shot back.

"One tribe of homo-reptilia against six billion humans." Lily scoffed. "Good luck, you've certainly got your work cut out."

"We did not initiate combat." Alaya said, standing up. "But we can still win."

"Tell me where my friend is." The Doctor demanded. "Give us back the people who were taken."

"No." she replied.

The Doctor sighed and got up.

"I'm not going to let you provoke a war, Alaya." He told her, folding the chair and putting it away. "There'll be no battle here today."

He headed for the door and Lily followed him.

"The fire of war is already lit." Alaya told him. "A massacre is due."

The Doctor stopped and turned to look at her.

"Not while I'm here." he replied.

"I'll gladly die for my cause." She said simply. "What will you sacrifice for yours?"

Without a word, the Doctor turned and left and Lily followed, leaving Alaya alone.

* * *

The Doctor, with Lily at his side, Rory, and Tony were sitting, as Ambrose and Nasreen stood.

"You're going to what?" Rory demanded.

"I'm going to go down below the surface-"

Lily slapped him across the head.

"We're going to go down below the surface," The Doctor amended, "to find the rest of the tribe. To talk to them."

"You're going to negotiate with these aliens?" Ambrose asked.

"Technically, they're not aliens." Lily pointed out. "In fact, they predate humans as the dominate species on Earth, so technically, they're Earth…liens."

Lily stopped, a look of horror on her face from what she had just said.

"Oh god." She muttered. "I'm starting to sound like you. Shoot me now."

"Any way." The Doctor said, grinning at her. "These creatures were once known as the Silurian race, or, some would argue, Eocenes, or Homo-reptilia. Not monsters, not evil." He stood. "Well, only as evil as you are. The previous owners of the planet, that's all. Look, from their point of view, you're the invaders."

"Your drill was threatening their settlement." Lily told them, taking the Doctor's seat. "The creature in the crypt's name is Alaya. She's one of their warriors and she's our best bargaining chip."

"We need her alive." The Doctor said. "If she lives, so do Elliot and Mo and Amy. Because we will find them. While we're gone, you four people, in this church, in this corner of planet Earth, you have to be the best of humanity."

"What if they come back?" Tony asked. "Shouldn't we be examining this creature, dissecting it, finding its weak points?"

"No dissecting!" the Doctor told him. "No examining! We return their hostage, they return ours. Nobody gets harmed. We can land this, together. If you are the best you can be. You are decent, brilliant people. Nobody dies today. Understand?"

Everyone nodded quietly and Nasreen began to applaud, but quickly broke off when no one joined in.

As the Doctor headed to the door, Lily walked over to Rory and took his hand, squeezing it.

"We'll get her back." She assured him. "I've never left anyone behind and I don't plan on beginning now. We will get your fiancé back."

Rory took a deep breath.

"I believe you." He told her.

She smiled and squeezed his hand again before following the Doctor.

"Keep them safe." She told him as she walked away. "We're trusting you to keep this end while we go take care of the other."

Rory nodded and waved goodbye as she headed out the door.

* * *

The Doctor and Lily headed for the TARDIS and Nasreen ran up behind him.

"No, sorry, no, what're you doing?" The Doctor demanded, stopping her from entering the TARDIS as Lily opened it and walked in.

"Coming with you, of course!" the woman replied. "What is it, some kind of transport pod?"

"Sort of, but you're not…coming with me!" the Doctor told her as Tony joined them.

"He's right, you're not." The man told her.

"I've spent all my life excavating the layers of this planet." Nasreen told him. "And now you want me to stand back while you head down into it? I don't think so!"

"Doctor, we don't have time for this." Lily said, poking her head out the door.

"I thought we were in a rush." Nasreen pointed out.

"It'll be dangerous." The Doctor said.

"Oh, so's crossing the road." Nasreen shot back.

"Oh, for goodness' sake, all right, then!" the Doctor huffed. "Come on!"

Lily walked back inside and the Doctor followed her.

"Come back safe." Tony said, stopping Nasreen.

"Of course." She replied, going inside.

She stopped dead when she saw the inside of the ship. Up on the platform, the Doctor and Lily moved around the console, getting the TARDIS ready to fly.

"Welcome aboard the TARDIS." The Doctor told her. "Now, don't touch anything! Very precious."

"No way!" Nareen said, walking over from the door. "But that's…this is…" she slapped him on the arm, "fantastic! What does it do?"

"Everything!" the Doctor boasted. "I'm hoping, if we're going down, that barricade won't interfere."

"It won't." Lily assured him.

The TARDIS suddenly pitched drastically and they held on to the console.

"Did you touch something?" the Doctor demanded.

"No!" Nasreen protested. "Isn't this what it does?"

"Lily?" The Doctor shouted.

"Yeah, because I love hanging on for dear life!" she answered sarcastically, trying to regain control. "This is more like your driving than mine!"

"I'm not doing anything!" the Doctor replied. "We've been hijacked! I can't stop it!"

"Nothing on my end!" Lily confirmed.

"They must've sensed the electro-magnetic field!" he said, looking at the monitor. "They're pulling the TARDIS down into the Earth!"

* * *

Rory, Tony, and Ambrose went down into the crypt to see Alaya.

"You had to come and see me." The Silurian said, standing.

"We are going to keep you safe." Rory assured her.

"Your tribe are going to give us back our people, in exchange for you." Ambrose told her.

"No." Alaya said, walking forward as far as her chains allowed. "Shall I tell you what's really going to happen, apes? One of you will kill me. My death shall ignite a war. And every stinking ape shall be wiped from the surface of my beloved planet."

"We won't allow that to happen." Tony replied.

"I know apes better than you know yourselves." Alay a told him. "I know which one of you will kill me. Do you?"

* * *

Tony found a small mirror and check the wound he received from Alaya's tongue. Green lines appeared where his veins were as the venom spread through him.

And it was spreading fast.

* * *

The Doctor, Lily, and Nasreen held on to the console, yelling. Finally, the TARDIS landed and they hit the floor.

Nasreen reached over and snapped the Doctor's braces.

"Oi!" he exclaimed.

"Where are we?" she asked.

The Doctor got up, pulling Lily with him and ran to the door. A second later, Nasreen followed them.

The Doctor held a hand out the door before stepping out. There were roots and fungi all over the walls. Nasreen stepped out and water dripped on her. Finally, Lily walked out and shut the door as the Doctor looked up and whistled in amazement at the tunnel they had fallen down.

"Looks like we fell through the bottom of their tunnel system." He said. "Don't suppose it was designed for handling something like this."

"How far down are we?" Nasreen asked.

"A lot more than 21km." Lily answered.

"So why aren't we burning alive?" she asked.

"Don't know." The Doctor replied. "Interesting, isn't it?"

"You would find the plague interesting." Lily muttered.

"It was!" the Doctor protested. "The way it swept through the-"

"Shut up." Lily interrupted.

"Yes, ma'am." The Doctor said.

"It's like this is everyday to you!" Nasreen exclaimed, staring at them.

"Not every day." The Doctor said.

"More like every other day." Lily added.

They turned and headed down one of the tunnels, and after a moment, Nasreen followed.

* * *

Amy was strapped to an upright examining board. A man was in the same predicament next to her.

"Don't struggle." He whispered to her. "Close your eyes and don't struggle."

"What?" Amy whispered back. "Where am I? Why can't I move my body?"

"Decontamination, they call it." He told her. "They did it to me. While I was conscious."

"Okay, you're freaking me out now." Amy said. "Did what? Who did?"

"Dissected me." The man replied.

Amy looked at his torso, which had a long vertical, healing, scar.

"No." she whispered.

"He's coming." The man hissed. "I'm sorry." He raised his voice to a normal level. "I wish I could help you."

As Amy continued to struggle, a Silurian approached her. He had a surgeon's mask over his nose and mouth, an apron, and a syringe in his hand.

* * *

"We're looking for a small tribal settlement." The Doctor said, he and Lily walking side by side. They didn't notice Nasreen stop. "Probably housing around a dozen homo-reptilia. Maybe less."

"One small tribe." Nasreen repeated slowly.

The Doctor and Lily made their way back to her.

"Yeah." He replied.

"Maybe a dozen?" she asked.

The Doctor and Lily joined her, staring at the sight in front of them.

"Ah." The Doctor said.

Below them was a large community, verging on a city with buildings and monuments.

"Maybe more than a dozen." The Doctor said. "Maybe more like an entire civilization living beneath the Earth."

"You suck." Lily told him simply.

"Yeah." He agreed.

A/N: I know it's been a long time, but my life's just been crazy lately. Thankfully, it's getting calmer again. Let me know what you guys think. Also, I wrote an AU one shot that is a version of my season 4 ending, where Lily dies. Please go read it and let me know what you think.

Abbey


	53. Cold Blood: The Beginning of the End

Disclaimer: Leave me alone, would you? I'm very happy in my little fantasy world, so don't wreak it for me!

Ch. 53:

_This is the story of our planet, Earth, of the day 1,000 years past when we came to share it with a race known as Humanity. It is the story of the Doctor and the Phoenix who helped our races find common ground and the terrible losses he suffered. It is the story of our past and must never be forgotten._

* * *

The Doctor, Lily, and Nasreen walked along a pathway in a cavern above molten magma and past buildings.

"This place is enormous and deserted." The Doctor said. "The majority of the race is probably still asleep."

"We need to find Amy." Lily said, taking out her sonic screwdriver. "I'm scanning for heat signatures. Where ever the anomalies are, that's where we'll probably find her."

"Good thinking." The Doctor said.

"You wish you'd thought of it first, don't you?" Lily asked, grinning.

"Shut up." He replied.

"But, how can all this be here?" Nasreen demanded. "I mean, these plants."

"Must be getting closer to the center of the city." The Doctor said.

"You're sure this is the best way to enter?" Nasreen asked.

"Front door approach!" he replied. "Definitely. Always the best way."

"No, it's not!" Lily protested. "If we've learned nothing over the years, it should be that sneakiness should be used whenever possible! When we go through the front door, we get shot!"

An alarm began to sound and a female voice came over the speaker system.

"Hostile life force detected, area 17."

"Apart from the back door approach, that's also good." The Doctor said, turning around. "Sometimes better."

"I told you!" Lily said, following him. "Don't let it be said I didn't tell you so! If I get shot, I'm blaming you."

"And this is different how?" he asked.

"Hostile life force detected, area 17." The voice repeated.

A door slide open in front of Nasreen.

"Doctor!" she yelled.

Armed Silurians began pouring though the door as the warning repeated. More came from the tunnel behind them.

"We're not hostile, we're not armed!" the Doctor called, holding up his arms and pulling Nasreen's up. "We're here in peace!"

_Can you transport to Amy?_ He asked Lily silently at the same time.

_Not without something to track._ She replied, also holding up her arms. _Given enough time, I might be able to follow the TARDIS's neural link with her, but I'd have to have to follow my link back to the TARDIS and then follow it's to her. We don't have enough time._

_Then jump back to the TARDIS._ He told her.

_Yeah right._ She told him.

The Silurians shot gas from their weapons and the Doctor, Lily, and Nasreen fell to the floor, unconscious.

* * *

The Silurian doctor approached Amy as she struggled.

"Don't you come near me with that!" she yelled.

The doctor lowered his mask and turned on a recording device.

"From the clothing, the human female appears to be more resistant to the cold than the male." He said.

"I dressed for Rio!" Amy shouted.

"Leave her alone!" Mo yelled. "You got me!"

The doctor took a small device from his pocket and pressed a button. Clamps appeared, looking Amy's wrists into place.

"Decontamination complete." The doctor said. "Commencing dissection."

He was just about to start when a voice came over the speakers.

"Area 17 incursion, species diagnostic requested. Area 17 incursion, species diagnostic requested."

The doctor sighed and left the lab.

"Yeah!" Amy shouted. "And stay out!"

When he was gone, Amy looked down at her hand. In it was the small device. She pressed the button and she was free.

"How did you get that?" Mo demanded as she freed him.

"You never picked a lizard man's pocket?" she asked. "Come on, before he gets back."

* * *

"That creature, do you think it was an alien?" Mo asked as he and Amy made their way through the tunnels. "Any more of them do you think? Do you think the Earth's been invaded?"

"Don't know." Amy replied. "But I know someone who could have some answers. We need to get back to the surface and find them. And if all else fails, we'll ask the Doctor." She stopped at a door. "I wonder where this leads."

"Maybe it's a way out of here." Mo suggested.

Amy put her hand on the panel next to the door as Mo looked inside. The lights came on and Mo gasped. Inside was a boy attached to wires.

"Oh, my God, no." Mo moaned.

"What is it?" Amy asked.

"It's my son." He told her, trying to force the door. "It's Elliot. What've they done to him?"

Amy looked through the window as Mo tried the panel.

"No!" he yelled. "He's in there! We have to get him out! Elliot! Elliot, it's Dad!"

"Access denied." A voice said. "Unauthorized genetic imprint."

"Seriously, we can't get in." Amy said, holding Mo's arm.

"That's my boy in there!" Mo protested.

"These screens, they're monitoring something." Amy said, motioning to them. "I think they're vital signs – heartbeats, pulses. Why else would he be wired up? He's still alive."

"Alright." Mo said, calming slightly. "We find weapons, get that creature from the lab and force it to release Elliot, yeah?"

"Yeah, trust me we'll get him out." Amy assured him.

They continued down the tunnel as the light in Elliot's room went out.

* * *

Ambrose knelt on the ground, holding Elliot's headphones as Rory joined her.

"Ambrose." Rory said.

"You lied." She said. "You told us you were the police."

"It was a misunderstanding…" Rory started.

"Who are you?" Ambrose demanded. "You and the Doctor and the Phoenix? Why is this happening to us? What did we ever do?"

"The Doctor and Lily'll get your son back, I promise." Rory told her. "In the meantime, we take turns guarding the creature."

"So that's it?" she asked. "We sit and wait."

"And then we exchange her for your family." Rory replied. "I promise you Ambrose, I'd trust Lily and the Doctor with my life. We stick to the plan. We keep that creature safe."

* * *

Lily slowly came round to the sound of screaming. Her brain didn't seem to comprehend what the sound was. She opened her eyes and it clicked into place.

"Theta!" she screamed, wrenching against her bounds.

She and the Doctor were both strapped to a table and the Doctor was being scanned as the Silurian doctor and a female warrior stood in front of them.

"How can they have escaped?" the female demanded. "This proves all prisoners should remain under guard."

"I'm sure you'd prefer to be in charge of everything and everyone, Restac." The doctor said. "But we rank the same. Is there any word from Alaya?"

"No." Restac replied, turning to watch the Doctor.

"It's fine to show concern, you know." The doctor told her. "She's part of your gene-chain. I'm decontaminating now."

"Decontamination!" the Doctor yelled, writhing in agony. "No, no, no!"

"You can't do this!" Lily screamed. "You're killing him!"

* * *

Alaya sat on the floor, meditating, when Tony walked in.

"Why aren't you dead?" she asked, looking up at him. "You're carrying my venom in your blood. But you should have died. Why aren't you dead? Show me."

Tony walked forward, unbuttoning his shirt, to show her the contaminated area.

"How does it feel, ape?" she asked, hissing with pleasure.

"Like it's burning in my blood." Tony told her. "Please. If you help me, I can help you. If you could cure me, I could help you escape."

"You see?" Alaya said. "You beg, and offer betrayal, so early! Why would I want to escape when I can watch you die? The first ape death of the coming war."

She returned to her meditation, ignoring him.

* * *

"It's alright." The doctor said as The Doctor screamed. "It won't harm you. I'm only neutralizing all your ape bacteria."

"We're not apes!" Lily screamed. "Look at your scans! He has two hearts! We have two hearts! We're totally different! We're not apes! If you remove all the human germs, you remove half the things keeping us alive! You have to let us go!"

The doctor checked the scans and shut down the machine.

"Oh, thank god." Lily breathed. "Doctor?"

"I'm fine." He told her, breathing heavily. "Stay where you are."

She nodded, but the fire didn't leave her eyes.

"No, complete the process." Restac demanded.

"Oh, that's much better, thanks!" the Doctor said. "Not got any celery, have you?"

"Celery?" Lily shrieked. "Really?"

"No, you're right." The Doctor said. "Not really the climate, tomatoes though, you'd do a roaring trade in those. I'm the Doctor, that's the Phoenix, oh, and there's Nasreen, good!"

The doctor went over to examine Nasreen.

"Oh, a green man." Nasreen said, waking up.

"Hello, who are you?" The Doctor asked.

"Restac." The female replied. "Military commander."

"Of course you are." Lily muttered. "There's always a military."

"Your weapon was attacking the oxygen pockets above our city." The doctor told him.

"Oxygen pockets!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Lovely! Oooh, but not so good with an impending drill! Now it makes sense!"

The doctor nodded and continued to examine Nasreen.

"Where is the rest of your invasion force?" Restac demanded.

"Invasion force?" the Doctor said. "Me, the Phoenix, and lovely Nasreen? No! Well, I could see how you could think that of the Phoenix, but no! We came for the humans you took. And…to offer the safe return of Alaya. Oh, wait, you and she, what is it, same genetic source? Of course you're worried, but don't be, she's safe."

"You claim to come in peace, but you hold one of us hostage." Restac told him, motioning for soldiers to take position by the Doctor, Lily, and Nasreen.

"Wait, wait, we all want the same thing here." The Doctor protested.

"I don't negotiate with apes." She told him, turning to the doctor. "I'm going to send a clear message to those on the surface."

"What's that?" Lily asked, snidely.

"Your execution." Restac replied.

Lily snorted.

"Go ahead and try." She told her. "You aren't the first and you won't be the last."

"Lily." The Doctor growled.

"What?" she asked innocently.

* * *

Amy and Mo continued to explore and they came across a chamber with glass-covered alcoves on either side.

"These chambers are all over the city." Amy said.

She put her hand over the sensor and the alcove lit up, showing masked warriors inside. Mo stepped back in surprise.

"Uh!" he exclaimed. "Turn it off quick!"

Amy put her hand on the sensor again and light went off.

"They're not moving." Mo said.

"Maybe they're asleep." Amy replied. "Let's have another look."

"No, Amy, don't!" Mo protested.

Amy touched the panel again and the door slid open and she walked forward.

"Amy, what are you doing?" Mo demanded. "Get out of there."

"Some sort of suspended animation." Amy whispered, ignoring him, noticing they were standing on small round discs. "I wonder what these are. The Doctor would know. The Doctor always knows."

"Hey, look." Mo said, pointing the ceiling.

Above them was a small chute. Amy could see that each container had one.

"Wait…I've got it." She said. "It's how they came up to the surface. Some sort of powered transport discs. It's our way out of here."

"Even better, weapons." Mo said, taking a gun from one of the soldiers. "Come on, now we can fight back."

Amy reached over and took one as well before closing the containers.

"Which way now?" Mo asked.

"Door at the end." Amy replied.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Nope!" she said brightly.

They continued down the tunnel and through another sliding door. Below them was a large chamber filled with soldiers in suspended animation.

"Wow." Mo said.

"Yeah." Amy agreed.

"We don't stand a chance." Mo said.

"We have to find the Doctor and the Phoenix." Amy said, leading him out.

* * *

Tony searched through a closet until he found a first-aid kit and pulled out a bottle of aspirin.

"Dad, are you alright?" Ambrose said, walking towards him. "Dad!"

"Ambrose, I'm fine!" he told her. "Leave me alone."

He stumbled and she helped him sit.

"You are not fine." She told him. "Let me…Let me look."

She reached out to him, but he batted her hand away.

"Get off!" he told her.

"Let me look." She ordered, unbuttoning his shirt to see the wound. "Oh, my God, Dad."

"I don't know what's happening to me." He said weakly.

"It's going to be fine." She assured him. "First thing is bring this temperature down, get you resting."

She stood and left him.

* * *

The Doctor, Lily, and Nasreen were being escorted through the city.

"These must be the only ones awake." The Doctor said, looking at their guards. "The others must still be in hibernation."

"So, why did they go into hibernation in the first place?" Nasreen asked.

"Their astronomers predicted a planet heading to Earth on a crash course." Lily told her. "They built a life underground before putting themselves to sleep for a millennia in so they wouldn't be wiped out. What they didn't realize was it was really the moon coming into alignment with the Earth."

Restac stopped and looked at them.

"How can you know that?" the doctor asked.

"Long time ago, I met another tribe of homo-reptilia." The Doctor said. "Similar, but not identical."

"Others of our species have survived?" Restac asked.

"The humans attacked them." The Doctor replied. "They died, I'm sorry."

"A vermin race." Restac sneered, leading them on.

* * *

"What's the cure?" Ambrose demanded, standing in front of Alaya.

"What?" the Silurian asked.

"I saw what you've done to my dad." Ambrose said. "What's the cure?"

"Why would I tell you?" Alaya asked.

"Cause if you don't, I'm going to have to use this on you." Ambrose said, holding up a taser.

"No you reveal yourself." Alaya said, smiling.

"First you take my son, now you hurt my dad." Ambrose growled. "I'm just protecting my family here. That's all. I don't want to use it. I want you to put things right."

"Use it." Alaya pushed.

"What?" Ambrose asked, surprised.

"Use it on me." Alaya repeated. "But you're too afraid." She walked up to Ambrose. "A woman who can't even protect her own child must be too weak to…"

She walked into the taser and fell to her knees with a shriek.

"I didn't want to do that." Ambrose told her. "Are you all right? Tell me, what's the cure for my dad?"

"He's vermin." Alaya ground out. "He deserves a painful death."

"I'm giving you a chance." Ambrose told her.

"I knew it would be you." Alaya pressed. "The one with the most to lose. The weakest."

Ambrose put the taser to Alaya's chest and the Silurian fell to the floor with a shudder.

* * *

Tony sat beside Rory as the man tended to his wound.

"I'm a nurse." He told the older man. "You should've told me."

Suddenly there was a scream in the distance. Both men leapt to their feet and raced down the stairs to find Alaya wheezing on the floor and Ambrose standing over her, the taser in her hand. Rory rushed to Alaya.

"Ambrose…" Tony breathed. "What've you done?"

"She kept taunting me about Mo and Elliot and you." Ambrose replied.

"We have to be better than this!" Tony told her, angrily snatching the taser from her.

"She wouldn't tell me anything." Ambrose tried to defend herself. "I thought sooner or later, she'd give in. I would've done. I just…I just want my family back, Dad."

"I'm sorry." Rory told Alaya. "How do we help you? Tell us what to do."

"I knew this would come." Alaya said, her breathing labored. "And soon, the war."

"You're not dying." Rory told her. "I'm not going to let you, not today…"

Alaya moaned and was gone.

A/N: Okay, so I know it's been a long time, but honestly, the only thing more painful than killing the Doctor is killing Rory. I don't know how that came to be, since I was so ready to hate him, but there it is. I promise I will try to get it out faster.

On another note, Never Gonna Be Alone is now on 101 people's favorite lists. How cool is that? And all we need for 300 reviews on this one is one more review. I feel a little like a rock star.

Abbey


	54. Cold Blood: In the Line of Fire

Disclaimer: Please just leave me alone. Is that too much to ask?

Ch. 54:

Restac and Malokeh entered a courtroom, followed by the soldiers escorting the Doctor, Lily, and Nasreen.

"You're not authorized to do this!" Malokeh protested.

"I'm authorized to protect the safety of our species while they sleep." Restac replied.

"Oh, lovely place, very gleaming." The Doctor said, looking around at the architecture.

"You're doing that thing that annoys me so much again." Lily told him crossly.

"Which one?" the Doctor asked.

"That thing where you find beauty in things that are trying to kill us!" she told him.

"The room, which is very nice, is not trying to kill us." He told her logically.

"I'm going to kill you." She seethed.

"Quiet!" Restac ordered. "This is our court and our place of execution."

Suddenly, Amy appeared, pointing a gun at Restac.

"Let them go!" she demanded.

"Amy Pond, there's a girl to rely on." The Doctor declared as Mo entered.

"Mo!" Nasreen called.

"Good thing we can rely on her." Lily said. "Cause, God knows we can't rely on you unless we want to be led into a trap."

"You're in a really bad mood today." The Doctor pointed out.

"I've been knocked unconscious and led around at gun point." Lily pointed out. "And on top of that, I'M COLD!"

"You should've worn warmer clothes." The Doctor told her.

She and Amy both glared at him.

"WE DRESSED FOR RIO!" they shouted at him, making him wince.

Amy sighed and turned back to Restac.

"You're covered both ways, so don't try anything clever, buster." Amy told her. "Now, let them go, or I shoot."

Restac ignored her, moving closer.

"I'm warning you!" Amy shouted.

Restac took the gun from Amy and pushed her to the ground. A second later, there was a flash of gold and the gun disintegrated in Restac's hands.

"Oops." Lily said sarcastically.

Restac walked up to her and back handed her across the face. Lily looked back at her, growling as her eyes burned gold.

"Lily, no!" the Doctor told her.

Lily glared at Restac, but the gold receded, leaving just the grey.

"And you." Restac called.

Soldiers approached Mo and he quickly gave up his gun.

"All right, Restac." Malokeh told her. "You've made your point."

"This is now a military tribunal." Restac said, walking you to him. "Go back to your laboratory, Malokeh."

One of the soldiers jabbed him in the back. He glanced at Amy.

"This isn't the way." He said before leaving.

"Prepare them for execution." Restac ordered.

The soldiers tied the five of them to pillars.

"Can I escape yet?" Lily called.

"No." the Doctor replied.

"If I get shot, I'm going to kill you." Lily replied.

"Okay, sorry, as rescues go, didn't live up to its potential." Amy told them.

"We're glad you're okay." The Doctor told her.

"Me too!" Amy replied. "Lizard men, though!"

"Homo reptilia…" The Doctor replied. "They occupied the planet before humans."

"And now they want it back." Lily added.

"After they've wiped out the human race." Nasreen said.

"Right, preferred it when I didn't know, to be honest." Amy said.

"That's okay." Lily told her. "I preferred it when we were still on our way to Rio."

"Yeah, that was nice." Amy said as the soldiers lined up like a firing squad.

"Why are they waiting?" Nasreen asked. "What do you think they're going to do with us?"

* * *

Rory, Tony, and Ambrose stood in the basement, not really sure what to do.

"I didn't know it would go like that, Dad." Ambrose said.

"Oh, my little girl, what have you done?" Tony said, hugging her.

"What happens now?" Ambrose asked.

There was a buzzing electrical sound and the lights flashed. An old computer monitor flared to life and Restac appeared.

"Oh, my God." Ambrose breathed.

"Who is the ape leader?" Restac demanded.

"It's them." Ambrose said. "How are they doing that? How do they know that we're in here?"

She quickly covered Alaya's body with a tarp.

"Who speaks for the apes?" Restac demanded.

"Don't tell them what's happened." Tony told Rory.

* * *

In the Silurian chamber, there was a large projection of the church basement.

"I speak for the…humans." Rory said. "Some of us, anyway."

"Do you understand who we are?" Restac asked.

"Sort of." Rory replied. "A bit. Not really."

"We have ape hostages." Restac told him.

* * *

The view zoomed out to show the hostages tied to the pillars.

"Amy!" Rory shouted. "Doctor! Lily!"

"Mo!" Ambrose yelled, spotting her husband. "Mo, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, love!" Mo called back. "I've found Elliot. I'm bringing him home!"

"Amy, I thought I'd lost you!" Rory told her.

"What, 'cause I was sucked into the ground? You're so clingy."

"Tony Mack!" Nasreen called.

"Having fun down there?" he asked.

"I'm feeling a little like chopped liver." Lily complained. "How come I'm the only with the partner who's tied up right next to her?"

"Not to interrupt, but just a quick reminder to stay calm." The Doctor said, glaring at Lily.

"Show me Alaya." Restac told them. "Show me and release her, immediately, unharmed, or we kill your friends, one by one."

"No!" Ambrose exclaimed.

"Ambrose…" Rory told her.

"Steady now, everyone." The Doctor warned.

"Ambrose, stop it!" Tony said.

"Get off me, Dad!" Ambrose replied. "We didn't start this!"

"Let Rory deal with this, Ambrose!" Lily told her.

"We're not doing what you say any more." Ambrose said. "Now, give me back my family!"

_Something's wrong._ Lily said. _Rory wouldn't have let things get this far out of hand if there wasn't._

The Doctor glanced at her and nodded as they waited for Restac's reaction.

"No." she replied. "Execute the girl."

The soldiers moved towards Amy.

"Theta!" Lily yelled.

"Rory!" Amy yelled.

"She's not speaking for us!" Rory called.

"Don't move, Lily!" The Doctor ordered.

Amy was pushed to the center of the room in front of the soldiers.

"There's no need for this…" The Doctor said.

"Listen!" Rory yelled. "Listen! Whatever you want…we'll do it!"

"Aim." Restac ordered.

"Theta!" Lily growled, her eyes burning.

"No!" he replied. "Not yet!"

"Amy!" Rory yelled.

"Rory!" she cried.

"Don't do this!" The Doctor pleaded.

* * *

"NO!" Rory yelled as they lost the connection and the screen showed only static.

* * *

"Fire!" Restac ordered.

Amy closed her eyes.

"Stop!"

Malokeh entered the room accompanied with a Silurian Elder.

"You want to start a war, while the rest of us sleep, Restac?" the Elder asked.

"The apes are attacking us!" Restac told him.

"You're our protector, not our commander, Restac." He told her. "Unchain them."

"I do not recognize your authority at this time, Eldane." Restac said.

"Well, then, you must shoot me." Eldane replied.

Restac growled and turned on Malokeh.

"You woke him to undermine me." She said.

"We're not monsters." He told her. "And neither are they."

"What is it about apes you love so much?" Restac demanded. "Mmm?"

"While you slept, they've evolved." Malokeh told her. "I've seen it for myself."

"We used to hunt apes for sport." Restac said. "When we came underground, they bred and polluted this planet."

"Shush now, Restac." Eldane ordered. "Go and play soldiers. I'll let you know if I need you."

"You'll need me, then we'll see." Restac told him.

* * *

Rory hit the monitor, trying to get the connection back.

"Nothing!" he exclaimed. "I've got to get down there."

He started to walk away.

"Rory!"

He turned back and saw the Doctor appear on the monitor.

"Hello!" he called.

"Where's Amy?" Rory demanded.

"She's fine, look, here, she is." The Doctor replied, moving aside so the man could see his fiancée.

"Oh thank god." Rory murmured.

"Keeping you on your toes!" Amy told him.

"No time to chat." The Doctor said. "Listen, you need to get down here… Go to the drill storeroom, there's a large patch of earth in the middle of the floor. The Silurians are going to send up transport discs to bring you back down using geothermal energy and gravity bubble technology. It's how they travel, and, frankly, it's pretty cool. Bring Alaya. We hand her over, we can land this after all. All going to work, promise. Got to dash! Hurry up!"

The signal ended and Rory stared at the monitor.

"The moment we get down there, everything will fall apart." Tony said.

"We have to return her." Rory said. "They deserve at least that."

* * *

Amy and Nasreen sat at the table across from Eldane while The Doctor, Lily, Mo, and Malokeh stood behind them.

"I'd say, you've got a fair bit to talk about." The Doctor told them.

"How so?" Eldane asked.

"You both want the planet." Lily said. "You both have a genuine claim to it."

"Are you authorized to negotiate on behalf of humanity?" Eldane asked them.

"Us?" the Doctor exclaimed. "No! But they are!"

"What?" Nasreen exclaimed.

"No, we're not!" Amy protested.

"Of course you are." Lily told them.

"She right!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Amy Pond and Nasreen Chaudhry, speaking for the planet!" He moved to stand behind them. "Humanity couldn't have better ambassadors. Come on, who has more fun than us?"

"Incarcerated prisoners?" Lily suggested.

"Quiet, you." He told her, her sarcasm not diminishing his good mood.

Amy went over to them.

"Is this what happens, in the future, the planet gets shared?" she asked them. "Is that what we need to do?"

Nasreen heard her and come over.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"Oh, Nasreen, sorry, probably worth mentioning at this stage, Lily, Amy and I travel in time, a bit." The Doctor told her.

"Anything else?" Nasreen asked.

"There are fixed points through time, where things must always stay the way they are." The Doctor told her. "This is not one of them. This is an opportunity, a temporal tipping point. Whatever happens today, will change future events, create its own timeline, its own reality."

"The future is going to pivot around you." Lily told them. "Here, now, in this place. So go do some good. For humanity and for the Earth."

"Right." Amy said. "No pressure there, then."

She turned and walked away and sat down at the table.

"We can't share the planet." Nasreen told them. "Nobody on the surface is going to go for this idea. It is just too big a leap!"

"Come on." The Doctor told her. "Be extraordinary."

"Oh…you…" Nasreen sputtered before sitting down.

"Okay." The Doctor said, slapping the table. "Bringing things to order – the first meeting of the representatives of the human race and homo reptilian is now in session. Ha! Never said that before, that's fab!"

He felt amusement from Lily and glanced at her.

_What?_ He asked.

_Nothing._ She replied, smiling softly. _It's just fun to watch you have fun._

He smiled and turned to Mo.

"Now, Mo, let's go and get your son." He said, walking towards him and leading him towards the door. "Oh, you know, humans, and their predecessors, shooting the breeze. Never thought I'd see it." He saw Lily wasn't following him. "Are you coming?"

"Nah, I thought I'd stay and watch." She replied, leaning against a wall.

"Have fun." He told her, smiling.

"You, too." She replied.

He grinned and nodded before leading Mo out.

* * *

Rory gently placed Alaya's body on the ground in front of four discs.

"So we get on those, and they take us down through the Earth?" Tony asked.

"Geothermal gravity bubbles, or something." Rory replied.

"They sent four." Ambrose pointed out. "She was our only bargaining chip."

"We have to hand her back." Rory told her.

"Wait." Ambrose said. "Before we go down, there's something I've got to do…Dad, I need your help."

She led her father to the other side of the room. Rory couldn't hear what they were saying, but Tony didn't see happy with whatever she was saying and he was arguing with her.

"No!" he told her. "No way."

"Please, Dad…" Ambrose said. "Just a precaution."

"I've told you, I won't do it." Tony said.

"Look at what they did to you!" Ambrose exclaimed.

"This isn't about me or you!" he told her.

"No, it's about your grandson." She told him. "If you won't do it for me, do it for Elliot. I know I did wrong. But I can't lose him, Dad."

She turned and left.

A/N: I know it's been forever! I'm sorry! I have a confession to make. I've been seeing Highlander behind your back. I'm sorry! It's just, it had new ideas, new stories, and I just couldn't help myself! I'm so ashamed. And just because I'm with them, it doesn't mean I don't still care about you! I promise I will spend more time with you. Nothing will ever replace you in my heart. You're still my favorite. So we're okay, right? Right?

Abbey


	55. Cold Blood: Hopes Dashed

Disclaimer: Can I just say, if the Doctor Who writing staff would just read my many letters, we wouldn't need to go through all this.

Ch. 55:

"Elliot, there you are." The Doctor said.

He, Mo, and Malokeh stood outside the room holding the boy and the Silurian used the panel on the side to revive Elliot.

"If you've harmed him any way…" Mo threatened.

"Of course not!" Malokeh assured him. "I only store the young."

"But why?" the Doctor asked.

"I took samples of the young, slowed their lifecycles to a millionth of their normal rate." Malokeh answered. "So I could study how they grew, what they needed, how they lived on the surface."

"You've been down here, working by yourself, all alone?" the Doctor asked.

"My family, through the millennia..." Malokeh replied. "For the last 300 years, just me." He turned to Mo. "I never meant to harm your child."

"Malokeh, I rather love you." The Doctor told him, bumping his fist with the Silurian's.

Malokeh smiled and returned the gesture.

"It's safe." He said, turning and pressing a few buttons. "We can wake him."

The door opened and Malokeh entered, removing some wires.

"Come." He said, beckoning to Mo.

Malokeh stepped out and Mo took his place, standing in front of Elliot as he slowly blinked.

"Elliot?" he called softly. "Ell, it's Dad."

"What…?" Elliot murmured, confused. "Dad?"

"You're safe now." Mo said, hugging his son tightly.

"Where are we?" Elliot asked.

"Well, I've got to be honest with you, son." Mo said. "We're in the centre of the Earth…and there are lizard men."

Elliot looked past his father to where Malokeh and the Doctor were standing.

"Elliot, I'm sorry." The Doctor said, moving inside the room. "I took my eye off you."

"It's okay." Elliot told him. "I forgive you."

He held out his hand and the Doctor shook it.

"You go on, Doctor." Malokeh said as they started off down the hall. "I'll catch up."

The other three continued on and Malokeh keyed something into the panel.

"Storage facility 19 operational." The computer said.

Malokeh looked thoughtful as he headed off the opposite direction.

* * *

Tony sat at the controls of the drill, hesitating. Finally, he pressed a button.

* * *

Eldane, Nasreen, and Amy sat at the table, while Lily leaned against the wall behind the humans.

"We lived on the surface of the planet, long before you did." Eldane told them. "Our sole purpose has been to return to our rightful place."

"And we've got a planet that already can't sustain the people who live there." Nasreen shot back. "And you want to add a whole other species, to drain resources…"

Eldane brought up a projection of the Earth as Amy stood.

"So, erm, what about the areas that aren't habitable to us?" Amy asked. "Australian outback, Sahara desert, Nevada plains… They're all deserted."

"Yes, fine, but what happens when their population grows and breeds and spreads?" Nasreen said, tugging Amy down. "And anyway, what benefit does humanity get, and how would we ever sell this to people on the surface?"

"If I could get a word in, maybe I could tell you." Eldane said. "You give us space, we can bring new sources of energy, new methods of water supply, new medicines, scientific advances."

Lily began to smile behind them.

"You provide a place for us on the surface, and we'll give you knowledge and technology beyond humanity's dreams." Eldane continued. "We work together, this planet could achieve greatness."

"Okay." Nasreen said slowly. "Now I'm starting to see it."

"Oh, yeah." Amy agreed.

They heard the sound of applause and turned to see the Doctor clapping, Mo and Elliot behind them.

"Not bad for a first session." The Doctor said. "More similarities than differences."

There was a whooshing sound.

"The transport has returned." Eldane said. "Your friends are here."

* * *

Malokeh walked through one of the tunnels and found one of the sliding doors already open.

"That's not right." He murmured.

He stepped forward to find Restac reviving soldiers.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Protection our race against the apes." She replied.

"You can't do this!" he insisted.

"You're a good scientist, Malohekh, but this is war." She replied.

She turned and shot him.

* * *

"Here they are." The Doctor said, waving as Rory entered.

Ambrose entered next and Elliot ran to her with a shout.

"Rory!" Amy called happily.

Rory's mouth opened and closed a few times, as if he were trying to find the words.

"Something is wrong…" Lily said softly.

Tony entered next, carrying the shrouded body of Alaya.

"Doctor, what's he carrying?" Amy asked.

"No." the Doctor said, stepping forward. "Don't do this. Tell me you didn't do this."

Tony laid Alaya's body on the ground and Lily ran forward, kneeling next to the body. She pulled back the cloth to see Alaya's face and gently laid a hand on her cheek. Her eyes and hand began to glow and a second later, the light faded. She glanced up at the Doctor and shook her head before recovering the Silurian's face.

"What did you do?" the Doctor demanded, glaring at Tony.

"It was me." Ambrose said. "I did it."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Lily muttered angrily.

"Mum?" Elliot asked softly.

"I just wanted you back." She told him.

He pulled away from her and everyone else looked at her, pity and shame mingled in their eyes.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor said, approaching Eldane. "I didn't know. You have to believe me, they're better than this."

"This is our planet!" Ambrose exclaimed.

"We had a chance here!" Lily shouted at her.

"Leave us alone." Ambrose demanded.

The Doctor strode up and stood right in front of her.

"In the future," he said angrily, "when you talk about this, you tell people there was a chance, but you were so much less than the best of humanity."

Suddenly, armed soldiers entered the room, followed by Restac.

"My sister." She demanded.

She spotted the body on the floor and went to it, pulling back the shroud. When she saw her sister's face, she let out a wail before recovering her.

"And you want us to trust these apes, Doctor?" she seethed.

"This was one woman." Lily told her. "A woman who was scared for her family. She's not typical."

"I think she is." Restac said, facing Ambrose.

"One person let us down." The Doctor pleaded with Eldane. "But there's a whole race of dazzling, peaceful human being up there. You were building something, here, come on…an alliance could work."

"It's too late for that, Doctor." Ambrose replied.

The Doctor looked at her in confusion as Tony ran her hand through his hair in frustration.

"Why?" he asked.

"Our drill is set to start burrowing again in…" she said, checking his stopwatch, "15 minutes."

"What?" Nasreen demanded, staring at Tony.

"What choice did I have?" the man replied. "They had Elliot."

"Don't do this, don't call their bluff." The Doctor pleaded.

"Let us go back." Ambrose said. "And you promise to never come to the surface ever again. We'll walk away, leave you alone."

"Execute her!" Restac ordered.

"No!" The Doctor shouted.

Lily growled and raised a shield to protect the woman so the Doctor could pull her out of the way.

"Everybody, back to the lab!" he shouted, pulling her out of the room. "Run!"

The humans, Eldane, and Time Lords ran for the exit.

"Execute all the apes!" Restac shouted.

The Doctor pulled out his screwdriver and used it on the guns, causing them to explode.

"This is a deadly weapon!" he told them. "Stay back!"

A gold wall sprang up between the Doctor and the soldiers as one lashed out with their tongue. She quickly grabbed his hand and they ran out.

* * *

As the humans and Eldane ran through the tunnel, the Doctor and Lily caught up.

"Take everyone to the lab." Lily told Rory quickly.

They all ducked as a beam from a Silurian gun.

"Go." She ordered. "I'll hold them back."

Rory nodded and led the others away as the Doctor and Lily stood their ground, a gold shield between them and the soldiers as they approached.

_Go._ Lily told him. _Let me handle it._

_Would you leave me? _He asked.

She sighed, but didn't answer.

"I'd stop right there if I were you." Lily called to the soldiers.

"Or what?" Restac replied.

The Doctor and Lily exchanged a look before raising their sonic screwdrivers. All the guns but two sparked and exploded.

"That's the only warning you'll get." The Doctor said. "If there can be no deal, you go back into hibernation. All of you. Now. This ends here."

"No." Restac shot back. "It only ends with our victory."

"Like he said…" Lily told her. "One warning."

Her eyes flashed and the last two guns dissolved into dust. The Doctor took her hand and pulled her away. As they got further away, the shield dissipated. With a growl, Restac gave chase.

A/N: Okay, so I wrote this chapter and the next one together by accident. So, without further ado, review and on we go.

Abbey


	56. Cold Blood: An Unneedful Death

Disclaimer: If I could just have the Doctor and Methos, I would be perfect.

Ch. 56:

The Doctor and Lily ran into the lab where the others were waiting. The Doctor used his screwdriver on the doors and they slide shut. Lily laid a hand on them and they and her eyes briefly glowed gold.

"That should hold them for a while." She said, following her mate to the others.

"Elliot, you and your dad keep your eyes on that screen." The Doctor ordered. "Tell the Phoenix if we get company." He tossed a stopwatch to Amy. "Amy, keep reminding me how much time we haven't got."

Mo and Elliot quickly turned to watch the screens.

"Okay, 12 minutes till drill impact." Amy reported.

Tony sat down and Nasreen went to stand next to him.

"Tony Mack." The Doctor said, looking at him. "Sweaty forehead, dilated pupils, what're you hiding?"

Tony opened his shirt and they saw that the venom had spread across his chest.

"Tony!" Nasreen exclaimed. "What happened?"

Lily came over and kneeled in front of him, gently touching the infected tissue as the Doctor scanned it with his screwdriver.

"Alaya's sting." Tony replied. "She said there's no cure. I'm dying, aren't I?"

"You're not dying." Lily told him, her voice far away as she let her power flow through him. "It would be easier to fix if you were just dying. No, you're mutating." She opened her eyes and looked at her mate. "I might be able to fix it, given enough time, but in the time we have left? No way. And anyway, the mutation is pretty far advanced. I need enough starting DNA to fix it. I'm not sure there's enough left."

"So how do we stop it?" the Doctor questioned, pacing. "Decontamination program! Might work – don't know. Eldane, can you run the program on Tony?"

"Phoenix, shed load of those creatures coming our way!" Mo called. "We're surrounded in here!"

Lily got to her feet and ran to the father and son, checking the screens.

"Shit." She muttered.

"Lily!" the Doctor rebuked, helping Eldane get Tony to the chamber.

"Sorry, Elliot." She said, not taking her focus off the screens.

"No problems." Elliot replied. "I hear worse from Da."

"Good because I'm probably going to get worse." She told him. "We need to stop that damn drill."

"How?" the Doctor replied, joining her. "We can't get there in time."

"Plus we're surrounded." Lily added. "Without touching them, I can't knock them out, and I won't kill them all."

"No, I won't ask you to." He replied. "What about an energy pulse?"

"Channeled up through the tunnels to the base?" Lily finished.

"What do you think, Nasreen?" the Doctor asked. "How d'you feel about an energy pulse, channeled up through the tunnels to the base of the drill?"

"To blow up my life's work?" Nasreen replied.

"Yes." The Doctor replied. "Sorry. No nice way of putting that."

"Right." She said. "Well, you're going to have to do it before the drill hits the city, in…"

"11 minutes, 40 seconds." Amy reported.

"Yes!" The Doctor exclaimed. "Squeaky bum time!"

"Yes, but the explosion is going to cave in all the surrounding tunnels so we have to be on the surface by then." Nasreen said.

"But we can't get past Restac's troops." Rory pointed out.

"I can help with that…" Eldane said. "Toxic Fumigation – an emergency failsafe meant to protect my species from infection. A warning signal to occupy cryo-chambers. After that, city wide fumigation, by toxic gas. Then the city shuts down."

"You could end up killing your own people." Amy said.

"Only those foolish enough to follow Restac." He replied.

"Eldane, are you sure about this?" Lily asked. "I mean, these are your people."

"My priority is my race's survival." He told her. "The Earth isn't ready for us to return yet."

"No." Lily agreed. "It's not."

"10 minutes, Doctor, Lily." Amy told them.

"But maybe it should be." The Doctor said. "Everybody listening? Eldane, you activate shutdown…I'll amend the system-"

"Excuse me, who's going to amend the system?" Lily asked, moving to the computer and beginning to type.

"The Phoenix is going to amend the system." The Doctor corrected. "Set your alarm for 1,000 years' time."

Eldane moved to the controls next to Lily.

"1,000 years to sort the planet out." The Doctor said. "To be ready. Pass it on. As legend, or prophesy, or religion, but somehow, make it know. This planet is to be shared."

"Yeah." Elliot agreed. "I get you."

"9 minutes, 7 seconds." Amy said.

The Doctor joined Lily and Eldane.

"Yes, fluid controls, my favorite!" he said. "Energy pulse timed, primed and set. Before we go, energy barricade, need to cancel it out – quickly."

He used his screwdriver on the controls and the barricade came down.

"Fumigation pre-launching." Eldane reported.

"There's not much time for us to get from here to the surface, guys!" Rory pointed out.

"Ah-ha, super-squeaky bum time!" the Doctor replied. "Get ready to run for your lives. Now…"

"But the decontamination program on your friend hasn't started yet." Eldane pointed out.

Everyone looked at Tony in the chamber.

"Well, go." He told them. "All of you! Go."

"No, we're not leaving you here!" Ambrose replied.

"Granddad!" Elliot said, running to him and hugging him.

"8 minutes, 10 seconds." Amy reported.

"Now, you look after your mum." Tony told Elliot. "You mustn't blame her. She only did what she thought was right."

"I'm not going to see you again, am I?" Elliot asked.

"I'll be here." Tony replied, touching Elliot's chest where his heart was. "Always. I love you, boy." He hugged him tightly and turned to Ambrose. "You be sure he gets home safe!"

Elliot went to Mo, who pulled him close.

"This is my fault." Ambrose said.

"No, I can't go back up there." Tony told her. "I'd be a freak show. The technology down here's my only hope."

He reached over and hugged her.

"I love you, Dad." She told him.

"Go." He urged. "Go. Come on…Go on."

Eldane activated the fumigation.

"Toxic fumigation initiated." The computer reported.

* * *

"Return to cryo-chambers."

The soldiers began to head off.

"No!" Restac fumed.

"Toxic fumigation initiated."

"No!" she shouted.

"Return to cryo-chambers."

"This is not the order!" she yelled.

* * *

"Toxic fumigation initiated…"

"They're going!" Amy called. "We're clear!"

"Okay." The Doctor said. "Everyone follow Nasreen. Look for a blue box. Get ready to run."

He pointed his screwdriver at the doors and they slid open, but they were brought short by the shinning gold barrier.

"Oh, sorry." Lily said.

She snapped her fingers and the wall dropped, allowing them through.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor told Eldane.

"I thought for a moment, our race, and the humans…" Eldane trailed off.

"Yeah, us too." Lily told him. "It would have been amazing. For both of you."

"Doctor!" Amy called. "We've got less than six minutes. Lily, get moving!"

"Go!" Lily told her. "Go! We're right behind you!"

The others rushed from the room, but Nasreen stayed behind.

"Let's go." The Doctor told Nasreen.

"I'm not coming either." She replied.

"What?" he demanded.

Lily sighed and took off.

"They'll never find the TARDIS." She called back to him. "Let her do what she needs to do and hurry up!"

She ran out the door.

* * *

As they ran, Amy realized the Doctor and Lily weren't with them.

"Oh, for goodness' sake!" she said, running back.

On the way, she passed Lily.

"Where is he?" she demanded.

"Fighting with Nasreen." Lily replied, running past her. "Trying to give me gray hair. Take your pick."

Amy huffed and continued running towards the Doctor.

* * *

Nasreen went to stand next to Tony, laying a hand on his arm.

"We're going to hibernate with them, me and Tony." She said.

"Doctor, you must go!" Eldane stressed.

"I can be decontaminated when we're woken." Tony said, looking at Nasreen. "All the time in the world."

"But…Nasreen…you…" The Doctor sputtered.

"No." she said. "This is perfect. I don't want to go. I've got what I was digging for. I can't leave when I've only just found it."

"Doctor!" Amy called running in.

"Thank you, Doctor." Nasreen told him.

"The pleasure was all mine." He replied, hugging her.

He grabbed Amy's hand and made for the door.

"Come and look for us." Nasreen called.

The doors slide closed after them.

* * *

As the alarm continued to blare, the soldiers reentered the cryo-chambers.

Fumes began pumping through all the chambers.

* * *

"Immediate evacuation…"

The Doctor and Amy caught up with Lily and the others as she led them through the tunnels.

"Nice of you to join us." Lily said sarcastically.

"You know me, always like to make an entrance." The Doctor replied.

"I'll give you an entrance." She muttered.

"Toxic fumigation is about to commence."

They ran by a large cavern holding the main Silurian City and Ambrose, Mo, and Elliot stopped to stare.

"Come on!" the Doctor said, spurring them along.

They arrived in the tunnel holding the TARDIS and Lily ran to open the door.

"Come on." She ordered. "In. And if anyone stops to comment on the size, I will kick them. Ambrose, you come with me to the sickbay. We need to get you fixed up. Theta, we have five minutes. Get in here and start her up."

She disappeared inside and the Doctor started to follow, but was distracted.

"Not here." He said. "Not now. It's getting wider."

On the wall of the tunnel was a shinning crack.

"The crack on my bedroom wall." Amy whispered.

"And the Byzantium." The Doctor added. "All through the universe – rips in the continuum. Some sort of space –time cataclysm. An explosion, maybe. Big enough to put cracks in the universe. But what?"

He studied the crack, fascinated.

"4 minutes, 50…" Amy told him. "We have to go!"

"The Angels laughed, when I didn't know." The Doctor said, more to himself than her. "The Sontaran laughed at Lily. Prisoner Zero knew. Everybody knows, except me and Lily!"

"Doctor, just leave it." Amy begged.

"But where there's an explosion," the Doctor said, taking out a red handkerchief, "there's shrapnel."

He walked over to the crack, careful to keep his plan in a part of his mind hidden from Lily.

"Doctor, you can't put your hand in there!" Rory told him.

"Why not?" the Doctor asked.

He reached in and cried out in pain as the light got brighter. Rory and Amy watched nervously, unsure as to what to do.

"I've got something!" the Doctor said.

"What is it?" Amy asked.

The Doctor pulled back, falling to the ground with the wrapped item clutched in his hand. It was sizzling with heat and energy.

"I don't know." He answered.

"Doctor!" Rory yelled.

A dying Restac was crawling into the tunnel. The Doctor quickly leaped to his feet.

"She was there, when the gas started…" Amy whispered. "She must've been poisoned."

"You!" Restac growled.

"Okay, get in the TARDIS, both of you." The Doctor ordered, reaching into his jacket pocket.

"You did this." Restac accused, aiming her gun.

"Doctor!" Rory shouted.

He pushed the Time Lord out of the way and was hit by the blast.

"Rory!" Amy yelled.

Rory groaned in pain as Restac died.

"Rory, can you hear me?" The Doctor asked, scanning him with the screwdriver.

"What is taking so long?" Lily demanded, walking out of the TARDIS.

She saw Rory on the ground and ran to him, falling to her knees next to the Doctor.

"What happened?" she demanded.

"He took a shot meant for me." The Doctor replied.

"I don't understand." Rory said.

"Shh-shh." Amy told him, stroking his face. "Don't talk. Doctor, is he okay? We have to get him into the TARDIS!"

Lily reached out and laid a hand on Rory's wound.

"We were on the hill." Rory said. "I can't die here."

"Don't say that." Amy said, tears pouring down her cheeks.

"You're so beautiful." Rory said weakly. "I'm sorry."

Lily looked at the Doctor and shook her head. A second later, Rory was gone.

"Doctor, help him." Amy pleaded. "Please, Lily, save him."

"I can't." Lily replied, shaking her head as her own tears fell.

The Doctor looked at the crack and saw tendrils of light reaching out, touching Rory's feet.

"Amy, move away from the light." The Doctor ordered, standing up and pulling Lily with him. "If it touches you, you'll be wiped from history. Amy, move away now."

"No!" Amy replied angrily. "I'm not leaving him! We have to help him!"

"The light's already around him." The Doctor told her, gripping her shoulders. "We can't help him."

"I am not leaving him!" Amy shouted.

"We have to." The Doctor insisted.

"No!" she shot back.

"Sorry!" he told her.

"Get off me!" she shouted.

"Sorry!" the Doctor said, lifting her up and dragging her to the TARDIS. "Lily!"

"Get off me!" Amy yelled.

The Doctor pushed her inside the TARDIS and Lily slowly backed in, crying as she watched Rory's body being enveloped in the light. When she was in, she closed the doors and fell to the ground, sobs wrenching through her body.

"No!" Amy screamed, rushing towards the door. "No! No!"

The Doctor pointed his screwdriver at the doors, locking them.

"Let me out, please let me out…" Amy pleaded as Lily pulled herself up to the console. "I need to get Rory."

The Doctor walked determinedly around the console as Amy turned around, tears streaming down her cheeks. Lily, tears streaming down her cheeks, also moved around the console, getting them out of there.

On the monitor, Amy saw Rory's body, covered by the light.

"That light, if his body's absorbed, I'll forget him." Amy told them. "He'll never have existed. You can't let that happen."

The Doctor pulled a lever on the console.

"What are you doing?" Amy demanded, running to the console. "Doctor, Lily! No!"

* * *

As the TARDIS dematerialized, Rory's body was completely swallowed by the light.

* * *

"No!" Amy yelled, beating on the Doctor's chest as he hugged her. "No! Doctor, we can't just leave him there!"

"Keep him in your mind." The Doctor ordered. "Don't forget him. If you forget him, you'll lose him forever."

"On the Byzantium, I still remembered the Clerics because I am a time traveler now, you said." Amy said.

"They weren't part of your world." He told her, taking her head between his hands. "This is different…this is your own history changing."

"Don't tell me it's not going to be okay." Amy told him. "You have to make it okay."

"It's going to be hard, but you can do it, Amy." He told her.

He took her to the jump seat and kneeled in front of her. Lily stood behind him, waiting to see.

"Tell me about Rory." He ordered. "Fantastic Rory, funny Rory, gorgeous Rory. Amy, listen to me. Do exactly as I say. Amy, please. Keep concentrating. You can do this."

"I can't." Amy said, crying.

"You can." He stressed. "You can do it. I can't help you unless you do. Come on. We can still save his memory. Come on, Amy. Please…"

Amy tried to remember.

"Come on, Amy, come on." The Doctor whispered. "Don't let anything distract you."

She remembered him alive and she remembered him dying.

"Remember Rory." The Doctor urged. "Keep remembering, Rory is only alive in your memory. You must keep hold of him. Don't let anything distract you. Rory still lives in your mind."

Suddenly the TARDIS jarred, knocking them all to the floor. The box holding Amy's engagement ring fell to the floor in front of the Doctor.

"What were you saying?" Amy asked.

The Doctor and Lily stared at her as she sat up, seemingly fine. Not distressed in any way.

"I've seen some things today, but this is beyond mad." Mo said as he and Elliot came down the stairs.

"Doctor!" Amy said, looking down at her stopwatch. "Five seconds till it all goes up!"

The Doctor just continued to stare as Lily lowered herself back to the ground, tears pouring down her face for Rory.

For Amy.

* * *

They stood outside the TARDIS, watching the drill explode from the graveyard. Later, Elliot, Amy, and Mo walked through the graveyard as the Doctor and Ambrose stood in the entry way to the church. Lily went back to the TARDIS, unable to bear being around Amy at the moment, and the Doctor let her go.

"All Nasreen's work just erased." Amy marveled.

"Good job she's not here to see it." Mo replied. "She's going to give Tony hell when they wake up."

"You could've let those things shoot me." Ambrose told the Doctor. "You saved me."

"An eye for an eye." The Doctor replied. "It's never the way. Now you show your son how wrong you were. There's always another way. You make him the best of humanity…in the way you couldn't be."

He gave her a gently smile before leaving.

* * *

"You're very quiet." Amy said as she and the Doctor stood outside the TARDIS. "Oh! Hey, look! There I am again! Hello me!"

She waved at her future self before pausing, looking pensive.

"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked.

"I thought I saw someone else there for a second." Amy said. "I need a holiday. Didn't we talk about Rio?"

"You go in." the Doctor told her. "Just fix this lock, keeps jamming."

"You boys and your locksmithery." Amy scoffed.

The door opened and Lily stepped out.

"Lils, convince him to actually take us to Rio this time." Amy whined.

"I'll try." Lily said, attempting a smile, but not quite making it.

"You okay?" Amy asked her.

"Yeah." Lily replied. "Just worn out. Go inside. We'll be in in just a moment."

She shrugged and did as she was told. When the door shut, Lily looked at the Doctor.

"So show me." She said, anger in her voice. "Show me what was so damned important that you had to hide it from me. Show me what was worth Rory's life."

The Doctor nodded sadly and reached into his pocket. He removed the handkerchief and slowly unwrapped it.

"Oh, god." Lily breathed, turning away.

The Doctor held the piece in his hand up to the TARDIS door sign.

It was a perfect match.

A/N: There, fine. I did it. I killed Rory. Are you happy now? Damn you, Moffat.

Abbey


	57. Dealing

Disclaimer: I'm officially out of ideas for disclaimers. Check back next chapter. In the mean time, I don't own Doctor Who. I also don't own God Only Knows.

Ch. 57:

Amy was wandering through the TARDIS and found herself at the door leading to the garden. She opened it and wandered around until she found herself in an unfamiliar corner. There, she found Lily, humming to herself and tending some flowers. They looked similar to roses, except they were black with white lines running through them. Amy saw that the flowers grew as vines around a wall with names and symbols on it.

Lily was dressed all in black and her hair hung limply down her back in its natural honey blonde color, and she was kneeling hunched over digging in the ground, planting a new plant.

"What is this?" Amy asked.

Lily jumped and turned to look at her.

"Thanks for the warning, love." She heard the Time Lord mutter.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you didn't know I was here." Amy said. "You and the Doctor are so hard to sneak up on."

"It's alright." Lily told her. "I was complaining to the TARDIS more than you."

Amy came over and kneeled next to her.

"Did I do something wrong?" the young woman asked. "Cause it seems like you've been avoiding me lately and I know you've been avoiding the Doctor."

"It's not you." Lily assured her. "I'm just working through some things. You rack up a lot of issues in 200 plus years."

Amy nodded and was silent as Lily went back to her work.

"So what is this?" she finally asked.

Lily set the trowel she was using down and sat back on her heels.

"I guess it's a memorial garden of sorts." She answered. "When I joined the Doctor, I set up this section as a place I could keep my lost friend's memories alive and a place I could go to grieve for them. And as we went along and lost more friends, I just kept adding to it."

Amy nodded and looked closer at the names.

"Wait, but River's name is on here." She said. "But she's alive. I met her."

Lily glanced at the name.

"The trials of being a time traveler." She replied. "Sometimes things don't happen in the right order. Take this name here."

She pointed and Amy leaned forward to read it.

"Jack Harkness, the Face of Boe." She read aloud.

"Jack is the man you saw come back when the Doctor came to get me." Lily said. "He's my adoptive brother. Now, I can go back to Torchwood and see him any time I want, but I've also been there at his death. I sat next to him and comforted him as he breathed the fresh air for the last time. The same for River. We've met her all out of order. The first time we met her, she died. So I added her to the garden. Even though we still see them, and for all intents and purposes they're still alive, I've seen them die, so I honor them here."

Amy nodded and looked at some of the other names.

"So you've seen all these people's deaths?" she asked. "This woman slapped the Doctor when we came to get you."

"No, I haven't seen her death." Lily replied, looking at where she was pointing. "You may notice that Jack is listed there, too. Those are the people from my original universe. That's why the Doctor is listed there."

She pointed to a complicated Gallifreyan symbol that had the word _Doctor_ printed under it.

"That was the Doctor I originally traveled with." She said. "Granted, he didn't die until he came to this universe."

"Wait, what?" Amy demanded.

"Long story." Lily told her. "The walls of the dimensions were collapsing, so he and a former companion of this Doctor's came across the universes to find us and stop it. Turned out the Daleks were behind it. One of them tried to shoot this Doctor, and the other Doctor pushed him out of the way, taking the blast himself. That seems to happen a lot."

She said the last part softly, and when she didn't elaborate, Amy let it go.

"Since he was already on the wall, because I thought he was dead, his name just stayed with the others from our universe." Lily finished.

Amy looked around and spotted another stone with just a single large Gallifreyan symbol on it.

"Who is that one for?" Amy asked.

Lily glanced at it and looked away.

"The Time Lords." She answered simply.

Amy nodded and looked back at the main stone.

"Who's the Master?" Amy asked.

Lily reached out and gently touched the mark.

"My brother." She answered. "My real brother. He was the Doctor's best friend when they were children. The Time Lords drove him mad and he did horrible things, but in the end he died saving me and the Doctor. In the end it didn't matter what the rest of the universe thought, he was my big brother and he loved me and he saved me."

She gently kissed her fingertips and pressed them to the symbol before wiping a tear off her cheek.

"I'm sorry." Amy said softly.

"It happened." Lily told her. "There's nothing to be sorry for."

She went back to the flower she was planting and finished securing it in the ground. She wiped her hands on her pants and pulled out her screwdriver. She pointed it at the stone and carving began to appear.

"Who's Rory Williams?" Amy asked.

She stared at the name, reaching out to touch it gently.

"You tell me." Lily replied, looking at her intently.

"How would I know?" Amy asked, her voice far away.

"I don't know." Lily replied. "But you're crying for him."

Amy reached up and felt the tears on her cheeks in surprise.

"Why am I crying?" she asked, fear in her voice.

Lily stared at her for a moment before sighing.

"Because this is a sad place." She replied. "And as for Rory, he was a friend and he died. He was a good man and he deserved a place here."

Lily sighed again and got to her feet.

"I'm done, but you should feel free to stay as long as you want." She told the younger woman. "This place is sad, but it's also a good place to find peace."

She smiled and gently squeezed Amy's shoulder before walking away. Amy stayed where she was for a moment, reaching out to touch this Rory's name one last time, before shaking herself and getting up. She glanced at all the names in this place and shivered slightly before walking away as well.

* * *

The Doctor found Lily in their bathroom washing the dirt from her hands and leaned against the wall.

"Lily…" he called softly.

She stopped what she was doing and leaned against the sink.

"Tell me what's wrong." He said.

"Don't-" she said, breaking off. "Don't…speak to me. Just don't. You don't get to speak to me right now."

Anger laced every one of her words.

"We need to talk about what happened." He told her.

She hit the mirror and broke it, making him wince.

"You don't want to talk to me about this." She told him. "Believe me."

He stayed silent as she shook her hand and cleaned it under the water. Finally she turned off the faucet, watching as her wounds healed, and sighed.

"I am angry." She said, her voice breaking. "I am angry at you. I'm so filled with anger that it's filling my throat and clouding my mind. I want to hit you and hurt you and I hate you for making me feel like that. If I could figure out a place where the anger resided, I would cut it out, but it's everywhere. It's in my mind and it's in everything I see and feel. I can't look at you without feeling it."

"You're angry because Rory died." The Doctor said softly.

"He was my companion." She shouted, rounding on him. "Mine. That's the first time that's happened since we started. He was the one I saw potential in. He would have been amazing! And now he's dead. And she can't even mourn him! And you didn't even care about him. He was just the boy who Amy liked. But to me, he was a friend. And he died saving you, and I hate you for that. He died saving you."

"That's not what you're really angry about." The Doctor said.

"Don't you dare try to seem holier than thou." She yelled at him. "You do not get to be the righteous one! You don't get that right. Not anymore."

"Why don't you just say it?" he asked softly.

"Shut up." She growled, turning back around.

"Tell me why you're really mad at me." He pushed.

"I said shut up." She ordered.

"Just say it." He said. "Why are you really angry?"

"BECAUSE YOU LEFT!" she screamed at him, looking him straight in the eye for the first time since he had walked in.

They both stood there, breathing heavily.

"Now we're at it." He said softly. "The problem that neither of us have talked about, but it's been there, under the surface."

"You bastard." She seethed. "You son of a bitch."

"You're angry because I got Rory killed, and you have every right to be." He told her. "But it's not the root of our problems. This has been going on for a lot longer than the last few days."

"Do you have any idea what it felt like?" she demanded. "To have everything ripped from you in a second? To get one last look and a dropped letter as your whole world dissolved? And what made it worse was, you knew. You knew that he had done this to me and you still did it. You broke me in ways you promised you never would. And I hate you for it."

"I know." He whispered.

"I hate you." She said. "I hate that you did that to me. I hate that you ran off with her. I hate that I gave you power over me and you used it to destroy me. I hate you."

He looked away, tears pouring down his cheeks.

"I hate you for leaving." She whispered. "And I hate myself for hating you."

She turned back to the sink.

"I can't look at you." She said softly. "Because when I do, my hearts break."

He walked up behind her and reached out for her shoulder, but thought better of it and let his hand fall back to his side.

"So where does this leave us?" he asked her softly.

"I don't know." She replied, wiping the tears from her face. "All I know is I can't be near you right now."

She turned and pushed past him, leaving him alone in the bathroom.

* * *

Lily picked up the guitar and held it in her hands, just looking at it. She just sat there, remembering the friend she hadn't got enough time with.

"I'm sorry, Rory." She said, her voice breaking as her tears fell. "I'm sorry we let you die. You deserved better. I'm just so sorry."

She lifted the guitar and played a chord. And another. And another. Before she knew it she was singing.

Singing for Rory. Singing for Amy, who couldn't say the words. Didn't know to say them.

"_I feel so alone.  
I can't seem to find my way out of this low.  
No it don't seem right.  
I didn't have the chance to say goodbye._

_In the silent space  
I close my eyes and I can hear you say  
That it's alright  
But my world's such an empty place tonight._

_Cause I know that  
It's all a part of life_

_I wish I had the chance to say goodbye  
Yeah, I still miss you  
So hard see it through the tears I cry  
Yeah, I still need you  
Cause I don't want to if I don't have to  
Ever let you go  
How long must I hold on?  
God only knows._

_As time goes by  
It gets a little easier to smile  
I know I'll never forget  
Everything that you said  
You said it's alright  
It's all a part of life_

_I wish I had the chance to say goodbye  
Yeah, I still miss you  
So hard to see it through the tears I cry  
Yeah, I still need you  
Cause I don't want to if I don't have to  
Ever let you go  
How long must I hold on?  
God only knows._

_The hard times will never fade if you keep looking up  
Right around there's a better place if you believe in love  
Cause I know that it's all part of life_

_I wish I had the chance to say goodbye  
Yeah, I still miss you  
So hard to see it through the tears I've cried  
Yeah, I still need you  
Cause I don't want to if I don't have to  
Ever let you go.  
How long must I hold on  
How long must I hold on  
God only knows  
God only knows  
Yeah, God only knows  
God only knows."_

Lily set her guitar aside before covering her face and succumbing to sobs that wracked her entire body. Suddenly, she felt arms wrapping around her.

"Shh." The Doctor murmured.

She wrapped her arms around him and held his jacket tightly as she cried.

"Why did he have to die?" she sobbed. "Why couldn't we save him? Why did that damn crack have to take him so she can't even remember? It's not fair. It's not fair."

"I know." He told her. "I know, it's not."

He pulled back and gently smoothed her hair away from her face and brushed away her tears.

"I told you I didn't want you near me." She said, searching his face.

"I've made a lot of mistakes in my years." He told her softly. "I've made a lot of them in the last few weeks, not in the least being getting Rory killed. But I regret nothing more than leaving you. If I could do anything over it would be leaving you. But I can't. But I can promise this: I will never leave you again. So I don't care if you scream at me, hit me, or try to leave. You can even kill me if you want, but I am never going to leave you. I swear."

"You've said that before." Lily said, looking down.

He gently put her hand under her chin and made her look at him.

"I will spend the rest of time making that up to you, if you'll let me." The Doctor told her. "Alyssy, I love you, more than anything in this universe."

Lily stared at him.

"That's the first time you've ever called me Alyssy." She said.

"Well, you call me Theta, I figure I'm due some payback." He replied.

She chuckled weakly and leaned her forehead against his.

"I love you, too, Theta." She said softly. "I really thought I had been able put this behind me. Him leaving. You leaving."

"We'll get through it." He told her. "We always do."

"How do you know?" she asked.

"Because I have faith." He replied.

She leaned down and buried her face in his shoulder, wrapping her arms around him. He gently reached down and picked her up, cradling her in his arms. He silently asked the TARDIS to rearrange the rooms so their room was right across from the music room. He took her inside and gently laid her on the bed and climbed in next to her, pulling her into his arms and holding her as her tears continued to fall.

"Go to sleep." He told her softly. "I'll be here when you wake up."

She nodded and closed her eyes. A few seconds later, she was asleep. The Doctor gently held her and watched her sleep, keeping vigil the whole night.

A/N: Just a little time. I really wanted a moment with Lily and the Doctor really dealing with their issues. Let me know what you thought.

Abbey


	58. Vincent and the Doctor: Really?

Disclaimer: Leave me alone, would you? I don't own it. I'll never own it. Now leave me alone to curl up in a little ball and die in peace.

Ch. 58:

Lily stood in her closet, looking at her clothes and sighing. She moved past the generic clothes she had been wearing to the more flamboyant clothes she had been wearing before. She touched the skirts and vests before moving back to the other clothes with a sigh and grabbing a black t-shirt and jeans. She was about to walk out when she glanced back at her other clothes. She growled to herself and reached over and grabbed a black and purple plaid vest.

Smiling to herself, she walked back out into her room.

* * *

"So this is one of the last paintings Van Gogh ever painted." A man was lecturing a tour group as Amy, The Doctor, and Lily walked into the gallery inside the Musee D'Orsay. "Those final months of his life were probably the most astonishing artistic outpouring in history. It was like Shakespeare knocking off Othello, Macbeth, and King Lear over the summer hols. And especially astonishing because Van Gogh did it with no hope of praise or reward."

The Doctor watched as Lily moved around the exhibit, smiling slightly. He wouldn't let on to her, but it hadn't escaped him that she was dressing more like she had when she had first regenerated. It wasn't quite as out there, her clothes were still mostly black and her hair was simply highlighted, not dyed, but he took it as a good sign.

"Thanks for bringing me." Amy said, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"You're welcome." The Doctor replied as Lily rejoined them.

"You're being so nice to me." Amy said suspiciously. "Why are you two being so nice to me?"

"We're always nice to you." Lily protested.

"Not like this." Amy disagreed with a slight smile. "These places you're taking me – Arcadia, the Trojan Gardens, now this. I think it's suspicious."

"Well, it's not." The Doctor said. "There's nothing to be suspicious about."

"Okay, I was joking." Amy said. "Why aren't you?"

"Each of these pictures now is worth tens of millions of pounds." The man continued. "Yet in his lifetime, he was a commercial disaster. Sold only one painting, and that to the sister of a friend. We have here possibly the greates artist of all time, but when he died, you could've sold his entire body of work and got about enough money to buy a sofa and a couple of chairs."

The group laughed.

"If you'll follow me now…" he said, leading them off to another painting.

"Who is it?" a boy asked.

"It's the doctor!" another answered.

The Doctor turned and he felt Lily tense next to him. Two boys were standing in front of Van Gogh's Portrait of Dr. Gachet.

"He was the doctor who took care of Van Gogh when he started to go mad." The second boy continued.

"I knew that." The first boy said.

Lily relaxed and the Doctor chuckled.

_Paranoid?_ He asked.

_So sue me. _She replied. _The last time someone said that, we were chased through the streets by Elizabeth's guards._

Amy grabbed her arm and pulled Lily towards another painting. The Doctor smiled and followed.

"Look!" Amy said, landing in front of The Church of Auvers and holding up her guidebook. "There it is. The actual one."

"Yes." The Doctor said, admiring the painting. "You can almost feel his hand painting it right in front of you. Carving the colors into shapes…Wait a minute."

"What?" Amy asked as he looked closer.

Lily followed his train of thought and groaned.

"Seriously?" she demanded. "It's the Musee D'Orsay. You found a problem in the Musee D'Orsay?"

"What?" Amy asked again.

"Well, just look at that?" the Doctor said, pointing.

"What?" Amy asked, looking closer.

"Something very not good indeed." The Doctor said.

"What thing very not good?" Amy asked.

"Look there, in the window of the church." Lily sighed, pointing.

Amy looked even closer and saw a dark figure painted in one of the windows.

"Is it a face?" she asked.

"Yes." The Doctor answered. "And not a nice face at all. I know evil when I see it and I see it in that window."

The Doctor made his way over to the man, who was still lecturing, and Amy and Lily followed.

"It has changed hands for something in the region of 20-" he was saying.

"Excuse me," the Doctor butted in, "if I can just interrupt for one second."

He showed the man his psychic paper.

"Sorry, everyone." He said. "Routine inspection, Ministry of Art and…Artiness."

"Oh, god." Lily groaned, rubbing her forehead.

"So, um…" The Doctor said, ignoring her.

"Dr. Black." The man replied.

"Yes, that's right." The Doctor agreed. "Do you know when that picture of the church was painted?"

"Ah, what an interesting question." Black replied. "Most people…"

"Yeah, sorry." Lily interrupted. "Kind of in a time crunch. When was it?"

"Exactly?" Black asked.

"As exactly as you can." Lily told him. "Without a long speech, if at all possible."

"We're in a hurry." The Doctor added.

"Well, in that case, probably somewhere between the 1st and 3rd of June." Dr. Black answered.

"What year?" the Doctor asked.

"1890." Black said. "Less than a year before he killed himself."

"Thank you, sir." The Doctor told him. "Very helpful indeed. Nice bow-tie." He turned to the girls. "Bow-ties are cool."

"Yours is very…" Black said.

"Oh, thank you." The Doctor said.

"Oh, for the love of God." Lily exclaimed.

"Right." The Doctor said. "Keep telling them stuff."

He grabbed Lily and Amy's hands and started pulling them through the exhibit.

"We need to go." He said.

"What about the other pictures?" Amy protested.

"Art can wait." The Doctor told her. "This is life and death."

He gave Amy a little shove and yanked Lily along.

"We need to talk to Vincent Van Gogh." He said.

* * *

A cat lying on the cobbles ran off as the TARDIS materialized. The Doctor, Lily, and Amy stepped out and headed down an alleyway.

"Right, so here's the plan." The Doctor said. "We find Vincent and he leads us straight to the church and our nasty friend."

"Easy peasy." Amy agreed.

"Oh, that'll be the day." Lily scoffed. "Even if we weren't with the Doctor, who never makes anything easy, I suspect dealing with Van Gogh will be anything but easy."

"Now, he'll probably be in the local café." The Doctor said. "Sort of orangey light, chairs, and tables outside."

Amy pulled out her guidebook and opened it to the picture of The Café Terrance on the Place du Forums, Arles, at Night.

"Like this?" she asked, holding it up.

"That's the one." The Doctor replied.

"Or, indeed, like that." Lily said.

The other two looked up and she pointed to the real-life café.

"Yeah, exactly like that." The Doctor agreed.

They walked towards the tables where staff was working to clear them.

"Good evening." The Doctor said, walking up to a man who seemed to be the owner. "Does the name Vincent Van Gogh ring a bell?"

"Don't mention that man to me." The man ordered, walking back inside.

"Alright." Lily said, raising an eyebrow.

"Excuse me." The Doctor said, turning to a waitress. "Do you know Vincent Van Gogh?"

"Unfortunately." She replied.

"Unfortunately?" Amy asked.

"He's drunk, he's mad, and he never pays his bills." The woman told her.

"Good painter, though, eh?" the Doctor said.

The waitresses and patrons laughed at him and he sat down, dejected.

"Come on!" they heard from inside as Amy and Lily joined the Doctor. "Come on! One painting for one drink. That's not a bad deal."

The owner came out, holding a canvas, followed by another man. It was obviously Vincent Van Gogh. Amy and the Doctor reacted in quiet, giddy excitement and Lily smiled indulgently.

"It wouldn't be a bad deal if the painting were any good." The owner agreed. "I can't hang that up on my walls. It'd scare the customers half to death."

He held it up and the three time travelers saw that it was a portrait of Van Gogh himself.

"It's bad enough having you in here in person, let alone looming over the customers day and night in a stupid hat." The owner continued. "You pay money or you get out."

"I'll pay if you like." The Doctor called.

"What?" the owner asked.

"Well, if you like." The Doctor said. "I'll pay for the drink. Or I'll pay for the painting and you can use the money to pay for the drink."

"Exactly who are you?" Vincent asked.

"I'm…new in town." The Doctor replied.

"Well, in that case, you don't know three things." Vincent told him. "One, I pay for my own drinks, thank you."

Everyone around him laughed, but he ignored them.

"Two, no one ever buys any of my paintings or they would be laughed out of town." He continued. "So if you want to stay in town, I suggest you keep your cash to yourself. And three, your friends are cute, but you should keep your big nose out of others people's business." He turned back to the owner. "Come on, just one more drink. I'll pay tomorrow."

"No." the man replied.

"Or, on the other hand, slightly more compassionately, yes." Vincent said.

Lily chuckled to herself at that.

"Or, on the other hand, to protect my business from madmen, no." the owner replied.

"Or-" Vincent started.

"Oh, look, just shut up the pair of you!" Amy interrupted, turning to the owner. "I would like a bottle of wine, please, which I will share with whomever I choose."

She looked at Vincent, who smiled.

"That could be good." He agreed.

"That's good by me." The owner said.

"Good." Amy replied, going inside.

The owner went to follow her, but he stopped to shove the self-portrait back at Vincent. It was Self Portrait with Straw Hat.

* * *

The Doctor, Lily, and Amy sat with Vincent at a table, drinking wine.

"That accent of yours." Vincent said, looking at Amy. "You from Holland like me?"

"No." Amy answered.

"Yes." The Doctor answered at the same time.

"You people make me sad." Lily told them. "She means yes. Let's start again, shall we? I'm the Phoenix, and this is the Doctor-"

"I knew it!" Vincent exclaimed.

"Sorry?" the Doctor asked.

"My brother's always sending doctors, but you won't be able to help." Vincent told them.

"He's not that kind of doctor." Lily said, smiling gently.

The Doctor spotted an unfinished painting at Vincent's side. It was the beginning of La Méridenne.

"That's incredible, don't you think, Amy?" he asked.

"Absolutely." Amy agreed. "One of my favorites."

"One of my favorite whats?" Vincent asked. "You've never seen my work before."

_Oh, dear lord, it's like dealing with Shakespeare all over again._ Lily said. _I hate it when we deal with geniuses. They always see too much._

"Ah, yes." Amy said, covering quickly. "One of my favorite paintings that I've ever seen. Generally."

"Then you can't have seen many paintings." He told her. "I know it's terrible. It's the best I could do. Your hair is orange."

"Yes." Amy agreed, leaning forward. "So's yours."

"Yes." Vincent said. "It was more orange, but now is, of course, less."

"So, Vincent, painted any churches recently?" the Doctor asked. "Any churchy plans? Are churches, chapels, religious-y stuff like that, something you'd like to get into? You know, fairly soon?"

"Well, there is one church I'm thinking of painting when the weather is right." Vincent answered.

"That is very good news." The Doctor said.

"She's been murdered!" the heard a woman suddenly scream. "Help me!"

"That, on the other hand, isn't quite such good news." The Doctor said as Lily got up and head for the door quickly. "Come on, Amy, Vincent!"

Amy and the Doctor got up and followed Lily out. Vincent downed the rest of his wine and then followed.

A/N: Hi-ya, guys! See? Getting back into the swing here. Tell me if you liked it.

So, opinion time. Some of you may be aware that I'm writing a Highlander series. (I'm not cheating! I love you both, just in different ways!) Anyway, I was thinking about the comment at the end of this series where the Doctor says an Egyptian Goddess was loose on the Orient Express in Space, and since my character in the other story is Sekhmet (in universe, the inspiration for the Sekhmet myths. It makes sense in context), I thought it might be a good idea for a cross over. If you guys would read that, let me know. If you think it's a terrible idea, let me know that too.

If you guys want to read the other stories before you decide, you might want to get cursory idea about Queen of Swords, cause the stories start in that world and go to Highlander. Just F.Y.I.

Abbey


	59. Vincent and the Doctor: Hidden Sight

Disclaimer: Can I get DW as a birthday present?

Ch. 59:

Lily ran to an alley with the Doctor and Amy on her heels, and Vincent followed them. A young woman's body lay in the street, surrounded by a group of locales.

"She's been ripped to shreds!" a man said.

"Please, let me look." The Doctor said, pushing through. "I'm a doctor."

"Who is it?" a woman asked.

"Oh, no, no, no." the Doctor murmured.

The Doctor and Vincent kneeled beside the body and Lily moved around to the other side.

"Is she dead?" another man asked.

A woman pushed her way through the crowd.

"Away, all of you vultures!" she shouted. "This is my daughter."

She gently caressed the girl's face.

"Giselle." She said softly. "What monster could have done this?"

She turned to glare at the Doctor and Vincent.

"Get away from her!" she ordered.

Both men stood and backed away.

"Okay, okay." The Doctor said.

"Get that madman out of here!" the mother ordered, grabbing a stone and throwing it at Vincent.

Lily's eyes flashed and the stone diverted to hit the wall.

"Lily." The Doctor said.

She growled but nodded. She quickly grabbed Vincent and pulled him down the alley, the Doctor and Amy following.

"You bring this on us." The girl's mother shouted. "Your madness! You! He's to blame!"

As they got further away, they stopped to catch their breath.

"Are you okay?" Lily asked Vincent.

"Yes, I'm used to it." He replied.

"Has anything like this murder happened here before?" the Doctor asked.

"Only a week ago." Vincent answered. "It's a terrible time."

"As I thought, as I thought." The Doctor said. "Come on, we better get you home."

"Where are you staying tonight?" Vincent asked.

"Oh, you're very kind." The Doctor said, clapping Vincent on the shoulder.

He walked off down the alley and Amy followed, giggling nervously. Vincent stared after them, confused, and Lily touched his arm, motioning for him to follow. He put on his hat and did just that. Lily looked around quickly to make sure they weren't being followed and then also followed.

* * *

"Dark night, very starry." The Doctor said as Vincent led them through a maze of buildings.

"It's not much." Vincent told them. "I live on my own. But you should be okay for one night. ONE night."

"We're going to stay with him?" Amy asked softly.

"Until he paints that church." The Doctor replied.

"Or until he snaps and tries to kill the Doctor." Lily answered. "I give the Doctor three hours until we get to that point."

She walked past them into the house as Vincent lit a lamp and removed his hat.

"Watch out." Vincent said. "That one's wet."

"What?" Amy asked.

The Doctor walked all the way in, but Amy stopped to stare at the painting. It was the Bedroom in Arles. Vincent lit another lamp and they saw various paintings in various stages of completion.

"Sorry about all the clutter." Vincent said.

"Some clutter." The Doctor agreed.

"I've come to accept the only person who's going to love my paintings is me." Vincent told them.

"Wow." Amy said, entering. "I mean, really. Wow."

The Doctor examined some of the paintings. There was Blossoming Almond Tree, Prisoners Exercising (after Dore), and Wheat Field with Cypresses.

"Yeah, I know it's a mess." Vincent said. "I'll have a proper clear-out. I must, I really must."

"It's not that bad." Lily told him. "You should see my music room when I go through a phase. Last time, it took me two weeks to clean it all up."

Amy looked around and spotted La Berceuse.

"Coffee, anyone?" Vincent asked.

"Oh, finally a civilized person." Lily said. "I would love some."

"Not for me, actually." The Doctor replied.

Vincent moved into the kitchen and Lily and the Doctor followed him. Inside, they saw Vincent set the coffee pot down on Still Life: Basket with Six Oranges.

"Eep!" Lily squeaked.

The Doctor smiled as he felt her fight to keep from reaching over and snatching the pot away.

"You know, you should be careful with these." The Doctor said. "They're…precious."

Vincent picked up the pot and wiped off the coffee ring with his hand.

"Precious to me." He said. "Not precious to anyone else."

The Doctor and Lily followed him into the main room and Vincent handed a cup to The Phoenix.

"They're precious to me!" Amy protested as she joined them.

"Well, you're very kind." Vincent told her. "And kindness is most welcome."

"Right, so, this church, then." The Doctor said. "Near here, is it?"

"What is it with you and the church?" Vincent asked, getting wood for the fire.

"Oh, just casually interested in it, you know." The Doctor replied.

_Yeah, like Koschei was casually interested with intergalactic domination._ Lily said sarcastically.

"Far from casual." Vincent said. "Seems to me, you never talk about anything else. He's a strange one."

He directed the last statement at Amy.

"Okay, so let's talk about you." The Doctor said. "What are you interested in?"

"Look around." Vincent told him. "Art. It seems to me there's so much more to the world than the average eye is allowed to see."

Amy wandered over and stared at Starry Night.

"I believe, if you look hard, there are more wonders in this universe than you could ever have dreamed of." Vincent concluded.

"You don't have to tell me." The Doctor told him softly.

* * *

The Doctor sat on a chair by the fire as Vincent explained his views on art and color.

"It's color." He said frantically. "Color that holds the key. I can hear the colors. Listen to them. Every time I step outside, I feel nature is shouting at me. 'Come on. Come and get me. Come on. Come on!'" He grabbed the Doctor's lapels. "'Capture the mystery!'"

"Maybe you've had enough coffee now." The Doctor said, gently removing Vincent's hands. "How about some nice calming tea? Let's get you a cup of chamomile or something, shall we? Lily? Amy? Where are they?"

A scream came from outside.

"No." the Doctor whispered. "No. NO!"

He and Vincent raced outside to find Amy and Lily kneeling on the ground. Lily had Amy covered with her body and a gold shield. As she felt her mate approach, she let the shield fall and the Doctor kneeled next to them.

"What happened?" he asked.

"We were having a look at the paintings out here when something hit me from behind." Amy said.

"It's okay." He told them. "He's gone now and we're here."

He reached over and took Lily's hand.

_What happened? _He asked.

_I don't know._ She replied, confusion in her voice. _I didn't see anything._

_It's alright._ He told her._ We'll figure it out._

_No, you don't understand._ She insisted. _I didn't __**see**__ anything. There wasn't anything there to hit her._

The Doctor looked at her in confusion when Vincent began to yell.

"No!" he cried, backing away with his hands in the air.

"Take it easy." The Doctor said. "Take it easy!"

"What's happening?" Amy demanded. "What's he doing?"

Vincent grabbed a large wooden fork and held it in front of him like a weapon.

"I don't know." The Doctor replied.

Vincent ran at them with a shout.

"Oh, dear." The Doctor said.

"Run!" Vincent shouted. "Run!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." The Doctor agreed. "That's not a bad idea. Amy, get back. He's having some kind of fit. Lily and I'll try to calm him down."

As Vincent continued to battle an invisible foe, Amy ran to the doorway to watch in safety.

"Easy, Vincent." Lily said soothingly. "Look, it's just us. It's the Phoenix and the Doctor. There's no one else here. Come on, Vincent…."

"Look out!" Vincent yelled at the Doctor.

The Time Lord was thrown to the ground as something hit him from behind. There was a roar and one of the paintings appeared to have been shredded.

"I can't see anything." Amy shrieked. "What is it?"

"That is a good question." The Doctor said as he got up and Vincent continued to fight. "Let me help you."

"You can see him, too?" Vincent demanded.

The Doctor went to another area of the yard and began waving a stick around that he had picked up.

"Yes." He replied. "Ish. Well, no. Not really."

The creature roared and threw the Doctor back over a table to land at Vincent's feet.

"You couldn't see him?" the painter asked.

"No." the Doctor replied. "Oi!"

There was a flash and when their eyes cleared, they saw Lily holding a burning ball in her hands. The light from the created star burned the shadows in the yard away. Except for one spot. Vincent lashed out and Lily watched as the shadow ran away. A little ways away, the Doctor continued to fight nothing as Lily, Vincent, and Amy watched.

"Uh, Theta, it's gone." Lily called.

"Wait, you could see it?" the Doctor demanded.

"I could see its shadow." Lily said, bouncing the star in her hand, before closing her hand around it and extinguishing it. "Vincent wounded it and it ran off."

"Oh, right." The Doctor said. "Yes, of course."

He threw the stick down and Lily chuckled.

* * *

"Right." The Doctor said. "So he's invisible? What did he look like?"

They all sat in Vincent's cottage. Lily was standing in front of Vincent, letting him examine the hand that had held the star.

"Amazing." Vincent said. "That you harness such power. You are truly extrodinary."

"Thank you." She said, chuckling. "I love geniuses. They always appreciate my powers."

"Uh, Vincent?" the Doctor called. "What did he look like?"

"Oh." Vincent said, dropping Lily's hand. "I'll show you."

He grabbed one of his paintings, a picture of irises, and painted over it in white.

"Oh, no, no, no!" the Doctor cried as Amy gasped and covered her mouth and Lily closed her eyes.

"What?" Vincent said, confused.

"It's just…" The Doctor sputtered. "That was quite a good…" he sighed. "On you go."

Vincent quickly sketched with a piece of charcoal as Amy, the Doctor, and Lily watched intently. When he was finished, he showed them a picture of a creature that seemed to be a cross with a bird and a reptile with a beak and talons.

"Okay." The Doctor said, taking the sketch. "Okay, right. Amy, Lily, make Mr. Van Gogh comfortable. Don't let any invisible monsters in through the front door."

"But it could be outside, waiting." Amy protested.

"Don't worry, I'll risk it." The Doctor replied. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"You could get torn into pieces by a monster you can't see." Amy said.

"Here." Lily said.

She held out her hand and there was a smaller flash than earlier as a smaller star appeared in her hand, illuminating a painting of a yellow house behind the Doctor.

"Take this." She said, handing it to her mate. "Look for shadows that don't belong. It'll extinguish when you get back to the TARDIS."

He nodded and took it. She hesitated a second before reaching up and kissing his cheek.

_Stay safe._ She told him, looking down.

He reached over and squeezed her hand, smiling softly as she looked up at him.

"Don't worry." He told them. "I'll be back before you can say, 'Where's he got to now?'."

He left and Amy sighed, turning to face Vincent.

"Not that fast!" the Doctor said, popping his head back in and making Amy jump as Lily smirked. "But pretty fast. See you around."

He left and Amy huffed as Lily chuckled.

* * *

As the Doctor made his way through the town, he heard a soft growling. He held up Lily's star, but he didn't see any shadows that didn't fit.

"Count the shadows." He said ironically to himself as he crept forward.

He continued on and as he approached the TARDIS, the star began to shrink until it disappeared as he arrived at the TARDIS doors. He glanced over his shoulder quickly as he unlocked them and entered.

He quickly ran to an alcove off the console platform and dragged out a large trunk.

"Right." He said, tossing things out of the trunk. "You in here somewhere? I can't apologize enough. I thought you were just a useless gadget. I thought you were just an embarrassing present from a dull godmother with two heads and bad breath. Twice."

He pulled out a device that looked like a mirror attached to a harness.

"How wrong can a man be?" the Doctor asked himself.

He ran up the console and attached the device. As it powered up, he made a face at the mirror. The TARDIS printed up a picture of his first two incarnations along with his species and planet of origin.

"Good." He said. "Okay, you're working. Now, see what you make of this." He held up the sketch. "Who is that?"

The device pulled up a picture of a parrot.

"No, I know it's not that." The Doctor said. "There are thousands of them and you can see them plain as day."

It pulled up a picture of a polar bear.

"No." he said. "Definitely not. This is the problem with the impressionists – not accurate enough. This would never happen with Gainsborough or one of those proper painters. Sorry, Vincent. You'll just have to draw something better."

He took the sketch and threw it over his head.

* * *

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS, wearing the device with the mirror aimed over his shoulder. As he looked down to adjust the controls, the creature appeared in the mirror for just a second. As it disappeared again, the device came up with a result.

"That's better, old girl." The Doctor said, looking at the result. "Time-delay, but you always get it right in the end. Good. Let's find out who this is, then." He quickly looked over the read-out. "Whoa, there you are, you poor thing. You brutal, murderous, abandoned thing. I hope we meet again soon so I can take you home."

The creature reappeared in the mirror over the Doctor's shoulder and roared.

"Maybe not that soon." The Doctor said.

He quickly took off, running through the alley. He kept checking in the mirror behind him to see who close the creature was. As he ran, he knocked over tables and other items to slow down the creature. Finally, he ducked around a corner and looked to see that the creature had broken off its chase. He sighed and leaned against the wall before looking back to see that Amy was suddenly there. They both yelled and jumped back.

"Never do that!" he ordered. "You scared the living daylights out of me. Where's Lily?"

"I left her back at Vincent's." she replied. "I got bored. As much as you admire his command of color and shape, it is hard to get fond of Vincent Van Gogh's snoring."

"Lily's going to kill you." The Doctor told her.

There was a flash of gold and Lily appeared.

"Goody." She said sarcastically. "Now I not only have to worry about where he's wandered off to, but I have to worry about you, too!"

"Told you so." The Doctor said, smirking.

A/N: So, what did you guys think? Let me know.

Okay, damage control time. Some of you reacted…unfavorably to my suggestion that I might do a cross over with my Highlander story. Okay, first, I will not suddenly lose my mind and have Methos and Sekhmet traveling with The Doctor and Lily and have lily chopping off people's heads. This will be one, five chapter or so story. It will be basically a standalone that will take place between The Big Bang and A Christmas Carol that won't have any real bearing on the actual story. Also, it would be written in such a way that both groups would be able to understand even if they didn't know anything about the other universe. Under these conditions, would you guys be willing to read it? Let me know either way.

Abbey


	60. Vincent and the Doctor: Hunting Unseen

Disclaimer: If I give up the Doctor, I'll have nothing. I don't do well alone.

Ch. 60:

The Doctor entered Vincent's room to find it exactly like the painting. With the exception of the painter snoring on the bed.

"Wakey, wakey." He called loudly. "Rise and shine! Breakfast is served in the courtyard."

He went and opened a window as Vincent groaned.

"Whoa!" he said. "What a morning!"

He turned and clapped at Van Gogh.

"Come on, you're as bad The Phoenix." He told him. "Amy's got a little surprise for you."

They went to the door and looked down to see Amy surrounded by hundreds of sunflowers and Lily nearby with barely concealed amusement.

"I thought I'd brighten things up to thank you for saving me last night." Amy told her.

"Ah!" Vincent said, surprised.

"I thought you might like, you know, possibly to perhaps paint them or something?" Amy said. "Might be a thought."

"Does no one in this group do subtle?" Lily muttered good naturedly.

The Doctor smiled as he came down to join them.

"Yes." Vincent replied, looking down at them from the top of the stairs. "They're not my favorite flower."

"_You _don't like sunflowers?" Amy asked, surprised.

"No, it's not that I don't like them." Vincent replied. "I find them complex. Always somewhere between living and dying." He held one of the flowers by his window. "Half-human as they turn to the sun. A little disgusting. But, you know, they are a challenge."

"And one I'm pretty sure you will rise to." The Doctor told him. "But, moving on, there's something I need to show you."

* * *

"That's him." Vincent said. "And the eyes. Without mercy."

They were sitting inside Vincent's cottage and the Doctor was showing him the printout of the creature.

"It's a Krafayis." Lily said, leaning against a table. "They travel in space as a pack, scavenging across the universe. Sometimes, one of them gets left behind. The race is brutal, so whoever falls behind, stays behind."

"I'm never letting you watch that movie again." The Doctor told her.

"That restraining order keeps me from going within 100 feet of Orlando Bloom." Lily whined. "Those movies are my only solace."

The Doctor just shook her head, but he smiled slightly, seeing her old humor peaking through.

"Moving on." He told them. "Lily was actually correct."

"No need to be so surprised." She said, glaring.

"As a result," he continued, right over her, "dotted all around the universe are individual, utterly merciless, utterly abandoned Krafayis. And what they do is…well, kill, until they're killed. Which they usually aren't, because other creatures can't see them."

"But I can." Vincent said.

"Yes." Lily replied. "And that's why we are in a unique position today. Between you and me, we can take the creature down before it can hurt anyone else."

"So, feeling like painting the church today?" the Doctor asked.

"Okay." Vincent agreed, standing up. "I'll get my things."

"In your own time." The Doctor replied. "I promise you, we'll be out of your hair by this time tomorrow."

Vincent hesitated at the door, glancing at Amy, but finally left.

"This is risky." Lily said. "Maybe too risky. There must be some other way we can track it."

"I don't think we have a choice." The Doctor replied. "But you're right, it is risky."

"Riskier than normal?" Amy asked.

The Doctor went to the door to check and make sure Vincent couldn't hear.

"Well, think about it." He told her. "This is the middle of Vincent Van Gogh's greatest year of painting."

"If we aren't extremely careful, we could get one of the greatest artist who ever lived brutally butchered." Lily said. "Half of those wonderful pictures on the walls of the Musee D'Orsay could disappear in a blink of an eye. And it will be our fault."

The Doctor came over and leaned against the table next to her. He hesitated for a second before reaching out and taking her hand, squeezing it gently. Lily didn't respond, but she didn't pull away.

"I'll go check on Vincent." He said finally.

He pulled away, leaving the two women alone.

* * *

The Doctor knocked on Vincent's door but didn't get an answer.

"Vincent?" he called. "Vincent!"

He checked his watch and sighed before opening the door. Inside, Vincent was laying face down on his bed, sobbing.

"Vincent, can I help?" the Doctor asked softly.

_Lily._ He called at the same time.

He felt her look through his eyes. He felt a flash of an emotion before Lily quickly clamped down on it.

_I'm on my way._ She replied.

"It's so clear you cannot help." Vincent told him. "And when you leave, and everyone always leaves, I will be left once more with an empty heart and no hope."

"My experience is that there is, you know, surprisingly, always hope." The Doctor replied.

"Then your experience is incomplete." Vincent shot back. "I know how it will end, and it will not end well."

"Come on." The Doctor said, slapping Vincent's back cheerily. "Come out, let's go outside."

"Out!" Vincent yelled. "You get out. What are you doing here? What are you doing here?"

"Very well." The Doctor replied, backing towards the door. "I'll leave. I'll leave you."

Vincent curled into himself and continued to cry as the Doctor shut the door. He went to the railing and leaned against it.

"What's happening?" Amy asked as she and Lily approached.

"We're leaving." The Doctor told them. "Everyone knows he's a delicate man. Just months from now he'll…he'll take his own life."

The Doctor felt a flash of something again and quickly looked at his mate, who wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Don't say that." Amy told him. "Please."

"Let me try to talk to him." Lily said, moving past.

The Doctor pushed away from the railing and grabbed her arm.

_When you saw him…_ he said. _You felt empathy, not sympathy. Why?_

_I don't know what you're talking about._ She told him, glaring. _I feel bad for him and I want to help him._

_Is that all?_ The Doctor demanded._ He's suicidal. There's no way you could know how that feels, right?_

Lily looked down at the ground and pulled way, and he let her go, staring at her.

"It was that bad?" he whispered. "I did that to you?"

"Please." She replied, just as softly. "I…I can't. If you really want to know, call Martha or Donna. But please, don't ask me to talk about it."

He hesitated for a moment, but then he nodded.

"You talked to them about it, right?" he asked. "You talked to someone?"

"I did, and it helped." She replied. "Now let me do the same for him."

The Doctor nodded.

"Come along, Pond." He said, leading Amy away. "We'll be downstairs."

Lily nodded and went inside.

"Go away!" Vincent yelled, not turning to look at her.

Lily ignored him and went and sat next to him on the bed.

"Vincent, if I talk, will you listen?" she asked him. "You don't have to answer me, I just want to tell you something."

The man continued to cry, but he didn't object.

"I know the pain you feel." She told him. "You feel like everything is pain and despair, except for when it's not. And when it's not, you know it will be again, so, when it come back, it's even worse. Everything in you cries for it to stop, but it never will. I understand that, Vincent, I really do. I've been where you are, and I know, nothing I say will make it better." She sighed. "I lost a very good friend recently, and it felt like the last straw. I'd had my hope ripped away from me so many times, losing him felt like…like a cruel trick of nature. Like the universe was saying that I didn't deserve to have even this one good thing in my life. Like I was being punished. Everyone I ever love always leaves and nothing I do can seem to make them stay. Sometimes, it just doesn't seem worth it. All the pain and fear and sadness. Sometimes, I would give anything for it all too just end. And I think you understand that, don't you, Vincent?"

"How do you keep going?" Vincent asked her softly. "How do you pretend it's all alright?"

"Some days are harder." Lily told him. "Some days, I just crawl into my bed and refuse to come out. But I take each one as they come and I hope that it'll get better. That's all I can do."

"There is no hope." Vincent said, his tears streaming down his face as he turned to look at her. "There's no hope left in the world."

"Oh, Vincent." Lily said, reaching out to wipe his tears away. "I know it seems like that, and I wish I could tell you it gets better, but I can't, and I won't lie to you. All you can do is do your best and do what you have to do to get by."

She sighed and got to her feet.

"You have to make the choice for yourself, though." She told him. "And you can either let the darkness win, or you can try and fight it back."

She smiled at him softly and held out her hand.

* * *

The Doctor and Amy stood in the cottage below and took one last look at the paintings.

"Come on." He said finally. "Let's get Lily. We'll have to hope her powers are enough and that we can do this on our own. We'll go to the church at the right time and hope the monster still turns up."

"Got room for two more?"

They turned and saw Lily standing with Vincent, who had his coat and hat on.

"I'm ready." He told them, picking up a brush. "Let's go."

* * *

Amy and Vincent walked down the road, her arm tucked in his, and the Doctor and Lily walked behind them, carrying on a silent conversation.

"I'm sorry you're so sad." Amy told the painter.

"But I'm not." Vincent replied. "Sometimes these moods torture me for weeks, for months. But I'm good now. If Amy Pond soldier on, then so can Vincent Van Gogh."

"I'm not soldiering on." Amy protested. "I'm fine."

"Oh, Amy, I hear the song of your sadness." Vincent said. "You've lost someone I think."

"I'm not sad." Amy replied.

"Then why are you crying?" he asked.

Amy reached up and brushed a tear off her cheek, surprised.

"It's alright." Vincent told her gently. "I understand."

"I'm not sure I do." Amy replied.

* * *

_I heard what you told Vincent_. The Doctor said. _Do you really feel like the universe is punishing you?_

_Don't you sometimes?_ Lily shot back. _All the pain and suffering we've caused, doesn't it feel like, sometimes, we should be punished?_

The Doctor stopped and grabbed her arm, making her turn to face him.

_You would tell me if it got to be too much, right?_ He asked.

_You mean if I were going to kill myself?_ She asked. _I like to think you'd know if ever got that bad. And I'm not actually that bad. Every day is getting better. And…that's because of you._

_What do you mean?_ He asked, confused.

_I was so angry at you._ She told him._ And in the last few weeks, I've yelled and screamed and hit you, and you've just taken it all. You've let me cry and you've let me scream and you've held me when I need you to. We still have a long way to go to get back to where we were, but today, right now, walking down a road in the countryside of France circa 1890, towards a vicious creature and no real plan, I'm happier than I've been in months. I feel more like myself than I have in months._

She reached over and took his hand and he smiled.

_I'm glad._ He told her. _Does this mean I won't be getting hit any more?_

_Don't press your luck._ She shot back, glaring without any real rancor.

He smiled and squeezed her hand, swinging it slightly. They realized they had fallen back slightly and moved to catch up.

"Okay." The Doctor called to the other two. "Okay! So, now, we must have a plan."

"Oh, why start now?" Lily asked, smirking.

"Hush." He told her. "When the creature returns…"

"Then we shall fight him again." Vincent said, stopping and turning to look at the Doctor.

"Well, yes, tick." The Doctor replied. "But last night we were lucky. Amy could have been killed."

"What about me?" Lily demanded.

"I'm fairly certain you could hold your own even against an invisible foe." He told her logically.

"Oh, that sentiment just fills me with all kinds of warm feelings." Lily said sarcastically.

"Glad I could help." The Doctor replied. "Anyway, this time, for a start, we have to make sure I can see him, too, not just his shadow."

"And how are we meant to do that, suddenly?" Amy asked.

"The answer's in this box." The Doctor told her, tapping the case he was carrying. "I had an excellent, if smelly, godmother."

"I'm sure that sentiment would also fill her with warm feelings of love as well." Lily said.

Coming towards them, they saw a funeral procession making its way down the road, and they stopped. There were sunflowers on the coffin.

"Oh, no." Vincent said softly. "It's that poor girl from the village."

They stood to the side, respectfully, as the procession passed. The mother of the girl who had thrown the stone the night before glanced at them, but said nothing.

"You do have a plan, don't you?" Amy asked when the procession was by.

"No." the Doctor replied as they started walking again. "It's a thing – it's like a plan, but with more greatness."

"The Doctor." Lily said, mocking him. "He's like a moron, but with more stupidness."

Amy chuckled as the Doctor huffed.

* * *

Vincent quickly set up his easel when they reached the church and sat down to paint.

"And you'll be sure to tell me if you see any, you know, monsters." The Doctor said, bending over to rest his hands on Vincent's shoulders.

"Yes." Vincent assured him. "While I may be mad, I'm not stupid."

"No, quite." The Doctor agreed. "And to be honest…" he squatted next to the painter. "I'm not sure about mad either. It seems to me depression is a very complex…"

"Shh." Vincent interrupted. "I'm working."

"Well, yes." The Doctor said. "Paint. Do painting!"

* * *

"I remember watching Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel." The Doctor was saying. "Wow! What a whiner. I said to him, 'If you're scared of heights, you shouldn't have taken the job!'."

Amy and Lily exchanged a look and the Time Lady rolled her eyes. Meanwhile, Vincent had outlined the top of the church and was painting the sky.

"Shh!" Amy ordered the Doctor.

* * *

Vincent had added more detail to the church and was still working on the sky, while the Doctor continued to ramble on.

"And Picasso." He continued. "What a ghastly old goat. I kept telling him, 'Concentrate, Pablo, its one eye, either side of the face'."

"That's not how I remember it." Lily told him, lying down in the grass. "I remember you getting completely trashed and telling him that humans had four eyes, as he would clearly see if he just looked in a mirror."

"Quiet, both of you." Amy ordered.

"He started it." Lily said, pouting.

The Doctor sighed and lay down with his head on Lily's stomach. She absentmindedly reached up and started combing his hair with her fingers.

_I'm bored._ He whined.

Lily chuckled.

* * *

Amy and Lily stood behind Vincent, watching him, as the Doctor squatted in the grass nearby, pulling up grass.

"Is this how time normally passes?" he demanded. "Really slowly. In the right order." He got up. "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's an unpunctual alien attack."

"I'll be sure to have a talk with the Shadow Proclamation about that." Lily told him sarcastically as he walked past them to stand facing behind them. "I'm sure the rest of the species will be glad to accommodate you."

Amy went to stand next to him.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You seem a bit, if I didn't know better, I'd say nervous."

"There's something not right and I can't quite put my finger on it." The Doctor replied.

"Theta." Lily called.

"There." Vincent said at the same moment as The Doctor and Amy turned around. "He's at the window."

"Where?" the Doctor asked.

"There, on the right." Vincent replied, pointing.

"As I thought." The Doctor said, nodding.

"B.S." Lily called happily as she moved away a little to look more closely at the window.

"Hush." He said. "Come on. I'm going in."

"Well, I'm coming too." Vincent said.

"No." The Doctor and Lily said at the same time, startling him.

"No." Lily repeated gently. "You're Vincent Van Gogh. We're not going to risk anything happening to you."

"But you're not armed." Vincent protested.

"I am." The Doctor assured him.

"What with?" the painter demanded.

"Overconfidence, this-" he said, tapping his case, "a small screwdriver, and The Phoenix. I'm absolutely sorted. Just have to find the right crosactic setting, and stun him with it. Sonic never fails."

"Except for every Saturday." Lily butted in.

"Anyway." The Doctor said over her. "Amy, only one thought, one simple instruction – don't follow us under any circumstances."

He signaled Vincent to watch her.

"I won't." Amy assured him.

The Doctor gave them a thumbs-up and turned to head towards the church. Lily gave Amy a stern look before turning and following her mate, jogging to quickly catch up.

"Will you follow them?" Vincent asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Of course." Amy said.

"I love you." Vincent told her.

* * *

The Doctor stopped and set down the case, opening to take out his mirror device. Lily watched him with trepidation as he strapped it on and set the controls.

"That thing looks ridiculous." She told him flatly.

"Yeah, but it works." He shot back. "Watch and learn."

"Whatever you say." Lily replied, shrugging. "Lead the way, mine commandant."

The Doctor shook his head, smiling, and led her into the church. They went slowly and heard a low growling. The Doctor kept checking the mirror and pulled out his screwdriver, while Lily kept rubbing her hands together.

* * *

Amy paced outside while Vincent watched the window.

"Has he moved?" she asked.

"No, just shifted to the next window." He replied. "But, wait! He's turning now."

* * *

The Doctor and Lily approached the window, keeping an eye on the mirror.

"I don't see it." Lily whispered.

"Damn." The Doctor muttered. "He's moved.

He put the mirror down and looked up. Lily glanced back down just in time to see the Krafayis' arm as he swiped at them.

With a cry they were both thrown through the air.

A/N: What did you guys think? As we approach the start of a new series, my withdrawal and depression are beginning to fade, so expect more updates.

Abbey


	61. Vincent and the Doctor: Time Unchanged

Disclaimer: BITE ME, ALIEN BOY! THE DOCTOR IS MINE!

Ch. 61:

Amy and Vincent heard a cry from the church.

"Doctor!" Amy yelled, taking off towards the building. "Lily!"

"Amy!" Vincent called, rushing after her.

They ran into the church to find the Doctor retreating, Lily's arm draped over his shoulders and his arm around her waist, helping her walk, as he pointed the sonic screwdriver behind them.

"Doctor!" Amy called.

"Argh!" the Doctor yelled, surprised.

"Lily, are you alright?" Amy demanded, ignoring him as she ran up.

"I think my leg's shattered." Lily said through gritted teeth.

"I thought we told you…" The Doctor said. "Never mind. We'll talk about it later. Quick, in here."

They quickly ducked into an confessional booth, the Doctor and Lily on one side and Amy on the other. The Doctor quickly sat and tried to gently pull Lily onto his lap. She let out an involuntary scream and he quickly covered her mouth, stifling the sound. Outside, they could hear the Krafayis moving around.

"Absolutely quiet." The Doctor whispered, sliding the door over the grill between them. "Can you breathe a little quieter, please?"

"No!" Amy whispered back.

Lily leg began to glow slightly.

_Can you cut that out? _ The Doctor asked, still holding a hand over her mouth.

_No._ Lily replied simply. _I hit that wall pretty hard after I pushed you out of the way. I'm trying to determine the damage you've done to my leg. _

_I've done?_ The Doctor demanded.

_Yes, you've done._ Lily replied. _Now shut up._

Amy pulled back the curtain slightly.

"He's gone past." She whispered.

"Shh." The Doctor told her.

The Krafayis growled, blowing in the grating on Amy's side of the confessional as she screamed.

"I think he heard us." The Doctor said. "Can you jump back to the TARDIS?"

The Krafayis took out part of the grating on the Doctor and Lily's side.

"No." Lily replied, covering her head. "I'm in too much pain. I'm not sure I'd make it back in one piece. And that thing's got impressive hearing."

Another section of the confessional is ripped out.

"What's less impressive are our chances of survival." The Doctor replied.

Amy screamed again.

"Hey, are you looking for me, sonny?"

Amy peaked out again and saw Vincent brandishing his chair like a lion tamer.

"Come on." He yelled. "Over here, because I'm right here waiting for you."

Vincent began battling the foe only he could see.

"Come on!" he called to the others, motioning them over. "Quickly! Get behind me."

The Doctor quickly pulled Lily up and she cried out again, sweat pouring down her face as they moved as quickly as they could towards Vincent. Amy wrapped her arm around her friend, helping her to walk quicker as the Doctor continued to use his screwdriver.

"Doing anything?" he asked as they backed out.

"Un huh." Vincent replied.

He bent to grab his hat and ran after them. He still held his chair in front of him defensively as the Doctor looked around wildly, letting Amy bare most of Lily's weight.

"Where is he?" he asked.

"Where do you think he is, you idiot?" Vincent shot back. "Use your head."

The Doctor clued in and pointed his screwdriver in the direction Vincent was facing.

"Anything?" he asked.

"Nothing." The painter replied. "In fact, he seemed to rather enjoy it."

They quickly moved apart.

"Duck." Vincent ordered, and the Doctor did. "Left."

The Doctor moved left and Krafayis swatted him away, slamming him into a wall.

"Right, sorry." Vincent said.

Lily held out her hand and tried to summon a manufactured star, but her hand was shaking and she could seem to concentrate enough. Amy quickly helped her over to the Doctor, who was sitting up with a groan, holding his side. Vincent followed, holding the chair out to defend them.

"Your right, my left." Vincent explained.

"This is no good at all." The Doctor said. "Run like crazy and regroup."

He scrambled up and quickly moved to help Lily.

"Oh, come on, in here." Amy said.

She led them through a door and The Doctor helped Lily to lean against the wall before going to help the others close the door. It was blocked by something, and Vincent saw that the leg of the Krafayis was keeping it open. He stamped his foot down on it and the creature yanked it back. They quickly slammed the door shut and stood with their backs to it as Lily slid to the ground. Her face was pale and she clenched her teeth as her leg began to glow again.

"Right." The Doctor said, looking at Lily worriedly. "Okay, here's the plan. Amy, Rory…"

"Who?" Amy interrupted.

"Sorry, um, Vincent." The Doctor corrected hurriedly.

"What is the plan?" Amy asked, moving past it.

"I don't know, actually." The Doctor replied. "But in the future, I'm just using this screwdriver for screwing in screws." He put the screwdriver away. "Lily, what are you doing?"

"Shh." She said, her voice breaking in pain. "I'm knitting the bones back together. I've got three breaks and at least five fractures. It hurts."

He saw the tears streaming down her face and felt her pain through their bond, its strength taking his breath away. She looked up at him and her eyes met his. A second later, he felt the pain dissipate as she raised a wall in her mind.

"You don't need my pain distracting you." She said before he could protest, breathing through the pain. "I'll be fine. Do what you need to."

She closed her eyes and a shield rose slowly around her. It wavered for a second before solidifying. She opened her eyes and met his again.

"Get to work." She ordered.

"Right." He agreed.

"Give me a second." Vincent said. "I'll be back."

He ran off, leaving Amy and the Doctor staring at him.

"I suppose we could try talking to him." The Doctor suggested.

"Talking to him?" Amy demanded.

"Well, yes." The Doctor replied. "Might be interesting to know his side of the story."

Outside, the Krafayis growled.

"Yes, though maybe he's not really in the mood for conversation right at this precise moment." The Doctor continued.

The Krafayis growled again and banged on the door.

"Well, no harm trying." The Doctor said. "Listen. Listen!" The growling stopped. "I know you can understand me." He faced the door. "Even though I know you won't understand why you can understand me. I also know that no-one's talked to you for a pretty long stretch, but please…listen. My mate and I also don't belong on this planet. We're also alone. If you trust me, I'm sure we can come to some kind of, you know, understanding. And then, and then, who knows?"

The window directly opposite them shattered as the Krafayis came crashing through. It roared and displaced things as it moved about. The Doctor glanced at Lily, but her shield was still holding. Suddenly, Vincent returned, holding his easel.

"Over here, mate!" he yelled.

The Doctor and Amy quickly moved behind him.

"What's it up to now?" the Doctor asked.

Lily screamed in pain as they heard an audible crack from her leg and her shield flared as the Krafayis attacked it.

"Well, it was moving around the room." Vincent said as he and Amy moved behind a sarcophagus and the Doctor ducked behind a column, closing his eyes against Lily's cries. "Feeling its way around, but when the Phoenix screamed, he went after her. It can't get to her, so it's back to moving around the edges."

"What?" The Doctor murmured.

"I can't see a thing." Amy complained.

"I am really stupid." The Doctor berated himself.

"Oh, get a grip!" Amy told him. "This is not a moment to re-evaluate your self-esteem."

"No, I am really stupid and I'm growing old." The Doctor replied. "Why does it attack, but never eat its victims?" He moved to the sarcophagus. "And why it was abandoned by its pack and left here to die? Why is it feeling its way helplessly around the walls of the room? It can't see, it's blind. That explains why it has such perfect hearing!"

"Which unfortunately also explains why it is now turning around and heading straight for us." Vincent said.

He stepped forward, the sharp ends of his easel held out in front of him.

"Vincent." The Doctor called. "Vincent, what's happening?"

"It's charging now." The painter replied, motioning with his hand. "Get back. Get back!"

Vincent moved forward and impaled the creature on he easel. The Krafayis bellowed in pain and Vincent was pulled off his feet, hanging in mid-air until he let go and fell to the ground. Finally, the Krafayis collapsed, the easel seemingly suspended in the air.

"He wasn't without mercy at all." Vincent said sadly. "He was without sight. I didn't mean that to happen. I only meant to wound it, I never meant to…"

"He's trying to say something." The Doctor said, kneeling beside the body.

"What is it?" Vincent asked.

"I'm having trouble making it out, but I think he's saying, 'I'm afraid. I'm afraid.'." the Doctor replied, reaching out to stroke the body. "There, there. It's okay. You'll be fine. Shh."

There was a shudder and the Krafayis was gone.

"He was frightened…" Vincent said, "and he lashed out. Like humans, who lash out when they're frightened. Like the villagers who scream at me. Like the children who throw stones at me."

"Sometimes winning…" the Doctor said. "Winning is no fun at all."

There was a scream and The Doctor quickly turned and ran towards Lily, Vincent and Amy following. As he approached, Lily let her shield fall and he knelt next to her.

"What are you doing exactly?" he asked her.

"Re-knitting the bones from the inside out." Lily said, her voice strained. "Basically…fitting in months of healing…into 15 minutes."

"What can I do?" he asked.

She clenched her teeth, her whole body tensing.

"Hold me?" she asked, her voice small.

The Doctor immediately moved to wrap his arm around her shoulder and held her hand tightly.

"I'm here." He told her softly as she continued to whimper in pain. "I'm here."

Vincent and Amy watched as The Doctor held his mate, comforting her as she healed herself.

* * *

The Doctor helped Lily sit down on the grass as Vincent and Amy laid down, and he followed suit.

"How's your leg?" Amy asked.

"The worst of the healing is done." Lily replied, laying down next to her. "I'll be fine in a few hours."

The Doctor laid down next to her and Vincent lay between him and Amy, across from Lily. The Painter reached for Amy's hand and then the Doctor's.

"Hold my hand, Doctor." He said. "Try to see what I see. We are so lucky we are still alive to see this beautiful world."

The Doctor reached for Lily's hand, squeezing it, and Lily reached for Amy's.

"Look at the sky." Vincent said. "It's not dark and black and without character. The black is in fact deep blue." He pointed his hand, the one entwined with the Doctor's. "And over there, lighter blue." He let go of Amy's hand and made a sweeping gesture. "And blowing through the blueness and the blackness, the wind swirling through the air and then, shining, burning, bursting through – the stars! Can you see how they roar their light? Everywhere we look, the complex magic of nature blazes before our eyes."

"I've seen many things, my friend." The Doctor told him. "But you're right. Nothing quite as wonderful as the things you see."

Vincent gripped the Doctor's hand tightly before letting go and reaching up to grab the Doctor and Lily's intertwined hands. He then looked at Amy.

"I will miss you terribly." He told her.

* * *

"I only wish I had something of real value to give you."

The Doctor giggled as he held one of Vincent's self-portrait and Lily stood next to him, smiling indulgently.

"Oh, no, no." the Doctor replied. "I could never accept such an extraordinary gift."

"Forget that, I'm keeping it." Lily said, taking the picture out of the Doctor's hands and holding it to her chest. "I love it. Thank you, Vincent."

"No, thank you." Vincent said, reaching out to take her hand. "You are my angel. Thank you, so much."

"I'm no one's angel." Lily said, smiling sadly. "But I wish you all the luck in the world, dear Vincent. And thank you."

"For what?" Vincent asked, confused.

"For showing me that my pain doesn't have to control me." She said, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. "You are truly an amazing man, Vincent."

She squeezed his hand and let go as he turned to Amy.

"Amy, the blessed, the wonderful." He said, holding out his arms.

She smiled and hugged him before kissing him.

"Be good to yourself and be kind to yourself." She told him.

"I'll try my best." He promised.

"And maybe give the beard a little trim before you next kiss someone." She said, rubbing her cheek with a laugh.

"I will." He assured her. "I will. And if you tire of this Doctor and Phoenix of yours, return, and we will have children by the dozen."

"Eek!" Amy squeaked, making Lily laugh.

"Doctor, my friend." The painter said, turning to the Time Lord and taking his hand. "We have fought monsters together and we have won. On my own, I fear I man not do as well."

The Doctor hugged him tightly, his face sad.

* * *

The Doctor, Lily, and Amy walked away from Vincent's cottage, the Doctor's arm around Lily's shoulders.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked.

"I was think I may need some food before we leave." Amy replied.

Lily shook her head.

"Well, no, you're not thinking exactly what I'm thinking." The Doctor said, turning back to the house. "Vincent!"

The painter stuck his head out of a window, shirtless, with a brush in hand.

"Got something I'd like to show you." The Doctor told him. "Maybe just tidy yourself up a bit first."

* * *

The foursome walked through the village towards the TARDIS.

"Now, you know we've had quite a few chats about the possibility there might be more to life than normal people imagine?" the Doctor told him.

They stopped and Lily sighed when they saw the TARDIS covered in flyers. Lily held up her hand and snapped her fingers as her eyes flashed gold and the flyers turned to dust and fell to the ground.

"It's rather scary when you do things like that, Phoenix." Vincent told her.

"You think that's scary, you better brace yourself, Vinny." Lily told him, grinning, as the Doctor slipped the key into the lock to open the TARDIS doors.

The Time Travelers stood back as Vincent got his first view of the TARDIS interior. He stuck his head back out and then examined the exterior before stepping back inside again.

"How come I'm the crazy one and you three have stayed sane?" he demanded.

"What gave you the impression that we were sane?" Lily joked as the Doctor took the painter's hat and threw it to the side.

"What do these things all do?" Vincent asked as they approached the console.

"Oh, a huge variety of things." The Doctor replied.

"Most of which he can't remember." Lily butted him.

"Oh, yeah?" the Doctor shot back. "This one here," he turned a knob," for instance, plays soothing music."

Music came on and he took Lily's hand, spinning her and making her laugh.

"While this one makes a huge amount of noise." He said, turning another knob and producing a distorted sound. "And this one make everything go tonto."

He flipped a switch and everything shook.

"And this one?" Vincent said, pointing.

"That's a friction contrafibulator!" the Doctor replied.

"And this?" Vincent asked.

"That's ketchup." The Doctor replied. "And that one's mustard."

"Mmm, nice!" Vincent said, gripping the Doctor's shoulder. "Come on. Back to the café and you can tell me about all the wonders of the universe."

"Good idea." The Doctor said. "Although, actually, there's a little something I'd like to show you first."

He smiled at Lily and they quickly set the TARDIS in flight.

* * *

The Doctor, Lily, Amy, and Vincent stepped out of the TARDIS into the modern world.

"Where are we?" Vincent asked.

"Paris." The Doctor replied. "2010 AD. And this is the mighty Musee D'Orsay, home to many of the greatest paintings in history."

"Oh, that's wonderful." Vincent marveled.

Two boys walked by with portable electronic devices, and Vincent stared at them.

"Ignore that." Lily told him, wrapping her arm around him and leading him off. "We've got something more important to show you."

They entered the museum and Vincent seemed overwhelmed by the sheer grandness of it. Amy led the way past some of Monet's paintings and Rodin's 'The Kiss'. The Doctor had to drag Vincent away from the 'Water Lilies' and they entered the Van Gogh exhibit. Vincent simply stared at the sight of his paintings hanging on the walls of the magnificent museum. The Doctor held out his arms, spotting the curator from the other day.

"Dr. Black, we met a few days ago." The Doctor said, approaching him. "I asked you about the church at Auvers."

Amy and Lily each took one of Vincent's arms and brought him closer.

"Oh, yes." Dr. Black replied. "Glad to be of help. You were nice about my tie."

"Yes, and today is another cracker, if I may say so." The Doctor said.

Lily cleared her throat.

"Right." The Doctor continued. "But I wondered, between you and me, in 100 words, where do you think Van Gogh rates in the history of art?"

"Well, big question." Black replied. "But, to me, Van Gogh is the finest painter of them all."

Vincent's eyes began to tear up as he listened to the man.

"Certainly, the most popular, great painter of all time, the most beloved." Black continued. "His command of color, the most magnificent. He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty. Pain is easy to portray, but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world – no-one had ever done it before. Perhaps no-one ever will again. To my mind, that strange, wild man who roamed the fields of Provence was not only the world's greatest artist, but also one of the greatest men who ever lived."

Vincent began to openly cry and the Doctor came back to him.

"Vincent, I'm sorry." He told the man. "I'm sorry. Is it too much?"

He gave the man a comforting hug.

"No." Vincent replied. "They are tears of joy."

He went to Dr. Black and kissed his cheeks.

"Thank you, sir." He told him, hugging him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Black replied, confused. "You're welcome."

"Sorry about the beard." Vincent said before pulling away and going back to the Doctor, Lily, and Amy.

Black slowly walked away and spotted one of Van Gogh's self portraits. He quickly turned around, but the Time Travelers were already gone.

* * *

The TARDIS materialized and Vincent stepped out first.

"This changes everything." He told them. "I'll step out tomorrow with my easel on my back, a different man. I still can't believe that one of the haystacks was in the museum. How embarrassing."

"It's been a great adventure and a great honor." The Doctor said, shaking Vincent's hand before pulling him into a hug.

"You've turned out to be the first doctor ever actually to make a difference to my life." Vincent told him.

"I'm delighted." The Doctor replied. "I won't ever forget you."

Lily moved forward and hugged Vincent tightly.

"Take care of yourself, Vincent Van Gogh." She told him softly.

"And you, my dear Phoenix." The painter replied.

She let him go, smiling and took the Doctor's hand as they went back to the TARDIS.

"And you are sure marriage is out of the question?" Vincent asked, turning to Amy.

"This time." She replied, hugging him. "I'm not really the marrying kind."

She kissed him again and headed back to the TARDIS.

"Come on." She told the Time Lords. "Let's go back to the gallery right now."

Vincent took his pipe from his pocket and watched as the TARDIS dematerialized. With a smile and a shake of his head, he walked away.

* * *

Amy exited the TARIDS with a big smile on her face, skipping ahead. The Doctor and Lily followed her.

"Time can be re-written." Amy told them. "I know it can. Come on!"

She ran inside and up the stairs to the exhibit.

"Oh, the long life of Vincent Van Gogh." Amy told them. "There'll be hundreds of new paintings."

"I'm not sure there will." The Doctor replied sadly.

They walked past the Monet exhibit, the Doctor and Lily moving more slowly than the excited Amy. She ran into the exhibit, her eyes quickly searching for the new paintings she knew must be there.

"We have the here the last work of Vincent Van Gogh," Black was saying to a group, "who committed suicide at only 37."

Amy closed her eyes in grief, her hopes shattered as Lily came up to her and wrapped her arm around the younger girl.

"He is now acknowledged to be one of the foremost of all time." Black continued. "If you follow me now…"

"I'm sorry, Amy." Lily told her softly. "Sometimes, the wounds are just too deep. The suffering to hard. I'm sure he tried, but sometimes, it's just not enough."

"So, you were right." Amy said sadly. "No new paintings. We didn't make a difference at all."

"I wouldn't say that." The Doctor said, joining the two women. "The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. Hey." He reached over and hugged her. "The good things don't always soften the bad things. But, vice versa – the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things or make them unimportant." He released her from the hug, but took her face between his hands. "And we definitely added to his pile of good things. And if you look carefully…" He took her over to the 'Church at Auvers' painting as Lily moved away. "Maybe we did indeed make a couple of little changes."

"No Krafayis." Amy observed.

"No Krafayis." The Doctor agreed.

"Amy." Lily called. "I think you should come see this."

Amy glanced at the Doctor before going over to Lily. The Time Lady was standing in front of 'Still Life: Vase with Twelve Sunflowers'. On the vase, right above Vincent's signature, it said 'For Amy'. The Doctor came up beside them and whistled.

"If we had got married, our kids would have had very, very red hair." Amy observed.

"The ultimate ginger." The Doctor agreed as Lily chuckled.

"The ultimate ginger." Amy repeated.

The Doctor laughed, joining Lily, and Amy smiled.

"Brighter than sunflowers." She continued.

As the three stood there together, looking at the painting, the Doctor rubbed Amy's back before giving her a one-armed hug, and Lily wrapped her arm around Amy's, leaning her head on the girl's shoulder.

* * *

Amy found Lily sitting in the library, reading a book. She was dressed in a pair of jeans, converse, a white dress shirt, with a bright pink and black plaid vest, and the neck open so she could see the Firepoint hanging around Lily's neck. To top off the look, her hair was platinum blonde with neon pink tips.

"Hey." The Time Lord said, sitting up and laying her book aside. "What's up?"

Both she and the Doctor had been giving Amy the space she needed as she grieved for the painter, so Lily was frankly surprised when Amy sought her out first.

"Can you do me a favor?" the red head asked softly.

"Sure." Lily agreed. "How can I help?"

* * *

Lily helped Amy pat the soil around the flower and sat back to look at it. The sunflower stuck out amidst the roses, but that was okay by Lily. Amy had been right in choosing that flower to represent their friend.

"Here." Lily said, pulling out her screwdriver and handing it to Amy. "You should do the honors."

Amy took the device with a grateful smile and pointed it at the stone, turning it on. Carving slowly began to appear on the wall and finally a new name was added there.

_Vincent Van Gogh_

"Just because he's died, it doesn't mean he really gone." Lily said, wrapping her arm around Amy. "The ones we love are never truly gone as long as someone still remembers them."

Amy nodded and laid her head on Lily's shoulder. The two women sat there in silence, remembering those they had lost.

A/N: So what did you think? Let me know, please. I crave the attention.

Abbey


	62. The Lodger: Oh, Great!

Disclaimer: Don't make me break out the heavy artillery. Just hand over Tennant and no one gets hurt.

**A/N: This will be one of the episodes that I do that includes things not directly concerning the Doctor and Lily/Amy. I figure there's so much that's important to the plot that I can't really leave it out. Just F.Y.I.**

Ch. 62:

The TARDIS materialized and Lily stepped out and sighed.

"Get out here." She called. "You messed it up again!"

The Doctor popped his head out and looked around.

"Nope, definitely not the fifth moon of Sinda Callista." The Doctor agreed.

"Ya think?" Lily said sarcastically. "I think I can see a Ryman's."

There was a blast and the Doctor was thrown out of the TARDIS and Lily fell to the ground next to him.

"Amy!" they both yelled. "Amy!"

The TARDIS dematerialized in front of them.

* * *

The TARDIS was out of control and wires were sparking everywhere. Amy pulled herself up and looked at the monitor.

"Doctor!" she yelled. "Lily! It says we're on Earth! Essex, Colchester."

The time ship stopped shaking and Amy realized she was alone.

"Doctor?" Amy yelled. "Lily! It's taking off again. Doctor, can you hear me? Lily!"

* * *

The Doctor helped Lily up and they stared at where the TARDIS had been.

"Amy!" the Doctor called.

Lily closed her eyes and concentrated. There was a flash of gold and she was gone.

"Lily!" The Doctor shouted.

* * *

Amy was holding on for dear life when Lily appeared in the control room, quickly grabbing the console to stay up right. She moved to Amy and hauled her up and pushed her towards the jump seat before turning her focus to the ship.

"Doctor, the engines are fazing in and out of sync." She said, flipping switches and pushing buttons, trying to bring the ship back under control.

She was silent for a second, listening.

"I'm not a moron, Theta." She said crossly. "Do you think I wouldn't try that? It's not working. I can't even regain control long enough to keep her in the vortex. It's something on your end, so go find it."

She was silent again.

"I don't care how you do it, just do it." She shot back. "I can jump back and forth, so I'll help you when I can, and stay here with Amy to keep her as safe as I can."

There was another pause.

"That sounds like a good lead." She said. "Good luck."

She sighed and turned to Amy.

"Well, looks like we're stuck here for awhile." She said.

* * *

_One day later…_

A young man walked down the street when he heard a man's voice over the intercom of the two story town house he was walking by.

"Hello?" the voice called. "Hello, please? Hello? I need your help. There's been an accident."

The young man approached the door and stood there hesitantly.

"Please, help me." The voice said.

There was a buzz and the door opened. The young man hesitated for just another second before entering. As he stepped into the hall, the lights flickered.

"Hello?" the young man called.

"Please, will you help me?" the voice called.

"Help you?" the young man repeated. "What's wrong?"

A figure in silhouette appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Something terrible's happened." The voice said. "Please help me."

The young man climbed the stairs and entered the flat. The door seemed to close on its own behind.

* * *

"Craig, what's that on the ceiling?"

Sophie took off her jacket and draped over a desk chair while her friend Craig moved around the kitchen.

"What's what on the ceiling?" he asked.

"That!" she replied, pointing to a large stain at the corner of the room. "It's coming from upstairs. Who lives up there again?"

"Just some bloke." Craig replied.

He returned to fixing the tea and didn't see the stain spread. He finished and brought it to Sophie, joining her on the couch.

"So what's the plan tonight?" he asked her. "Pizza, booze, telly?"

"Yeah, pizza, booze, telly." Sophie agreed.

There was a loud thumping and banging sound that came from upstairs.

"What is he doing up there?" she asked.

* * *

Outside, in the hall, the lights flickered and electricity buzzed.

* * *

Craig glanced up at the ceiling.

"You put the advert up yet?" Sophie asked him.

"Yeah, did it today, paper shop window." Craig replied. "'One furnished room available immediately, shared kitchen, bathroom, with 27-year-old male, non smoker, £400 pcm – per calendar month – suit young professional'."

Sophie's phone began to ring from her coat pocket.

"Mmm, sounds ideal." She said, getting up and making her way over. "That's your mission in life, Craig. Find me a man!"

"Yeah, otherwise you'll have to settle for me." He replied.

"You'll have to settle for me first." She shot back, looking at her phone. "Oh, Melina again." She answered it. "What? Right. Yeah, but I've kind of got plans."

Craig got a chair and stood on it to examine the stain.

"No, it's nothing important, it's just Craig." Sophie said.

"Oh, thanks, Soph!" he called.

"Sorry, you know what I mean!" she told him, before returning to the call. "Okay. I'll talk to Craig, okay." She shut off the phone. "Now she's having a Dylan crisis on top of the Clare crisis. It could be another all-nighter. I'm sorry, but I really should go. Do you mind if I go?"

"No, not at all." He replied. "No, honestly, course not, go."

"'Cause I could stay." She told him.

"No, go on." He assured her.

"I mean, we've got plans." Sophie said.

"Just pizza." Craig said.

"Yeah, it's just pizza." Sophie agreed sadly.

They looked at each other awkwardly for a moment.

"Okay!" she said, with fake brightness. "Right, I'm going."

"All right, then." Craig replied. "Well, um, I'll see you soon."

"Yeah." Sophie agreed, opening the door.

"All right, and give me a call, I hope everything's okay." Craig told her.

"Thanks." She replied. "Sorry."

She closed the door behind her, leaning against it with a sigh. After a moment, she headed for the front door, but heard more banging from upstairs. She looked up and saw a man moving behind the stained glass window, but turned and left.

* * *

Craig nervously snapped his fingers as he moved into the kitchen. On the refrigerator door, he had a photo of himself and Sophie.

"Just tell her." He muttered to himself. "Just tell her. 'I love you.' I love you.' Oh, just… 'Hey, I don't know if you knew…' Oh!"

He hit his head against the fridge. The doorbell rang and Craig looked around, spotting Sophie's keys.

"Every time!" he muttered, grabbing them. "I love you. I love you."

He moved out into the hallway, towards the front door, still muttering to himself.

"I love you. I love you!"

He opened the door.

"I love you!"

Craig was stunned to find, not Sophie, but the Doctor, wearing an earpiece in his ear, on his doorstep.

"Well, that's good, 'cause I'm your new lodger." The Doctor told him. "Do you know," he took the keys, "this is going to be easier than I expected!"

"But I only just put the advert up today!" Craig protested. "I didn't put my address."

"Well, aren't you lucky I came along?" The Doctor replied, looking up. "More lucky than you know. Less of a young professional, more of an ancient amateur, but frankly I'm an absolute dream."

The Doctor ignored the laughing in his head and coming through the earpiece.

"Hang on, mate, I don't know if I want you staying, and give me back those keys, you can't have those!" Craig told him, flustered.

"Yes, quite right." The Doctor agreed. "Have some rent."

He handed Craig a small paper bag and he opened it to find it full of cash.

"That's probably quite a lot, isn't it?" the Doctor asked. "Looks like a lot. Is it a lot? I can never tell. I usually rely on Lily for that kind of thing, but she's unavailable for the moment."

He stepped past Craig into the house and Craig followed, closing the door after them. Inside, the lights in the hallway flickered.

"Don't spend it all on sweets." The Doctor said. "Unless you like sweets. I like sweets, but Lily always eats them. Ooh." He gave Craig air kisses on each cheek. "That's how we greet each other nowadays, isn't it? I'm Doctor. Well, they call me the Doctor, I don't know why. I call me the Doctor too. Still don't know why."

"Craig Owens." Craig replied. "The Doctor?"

"Yep." The Doctor replied. "Who lives upstairs?"

"Just some bloke." Craig told him.

"What does he look like?" the Doctor asked.

"Normal." Craig replied. "He's very quiet." There was a loud banging from above. "Usually. Sorry, who are you again? Hello?"

The Doctor ignored him, entering the flat, and Craig followed him.

"Excuse me?" he called after the Time Lord.

The Doctor went straight to the corner where the stain was spreading.

"Ah!" he exclaimed. "I suppose that's…dry rot?"

"Or damp." Craig added. "Or mildew."

"Or none of the above." The Doctor said, more to himself than to Craig.

"I'll get someone to fix it." Craig told him.

"No, I'll fix it." The Doctor replied. "I'm good at fixing rot. Call me the Rotmeister. No, I'm the Doctor, don't call me the Rotmeister. This is the most beautiful parlor I have ever seen. You're obviously a man of impeccable taste." He sat on the countertop. "I can stay, Craig, can't I? Say I can."

"You haven't even seen the room." Craig told him.

"The room?" the Doctor asked, confused.

"Your room." Craig said.

"My room?" the Doctor repeated. "Oh, yes, my room, my room. Take me to my room!"

* * *

"Yeah, this is Mark's old room." Craig said as he and the Doctor stood in the doorway. "He owns the place. Moved out about a month ago. An uncle he'd never even heard of died and left a load of money."

"How very convenient." The Doctor said, testing the bed. "This'll do just right. In fact…" There was more noise from above. "No time to lose. I'll take it. Ah..you'll want to see my credentials." He took out his psychic paper and kept switching it. "There…National Insurance number…NHS number…References…"

"Is that a reference from Archbishop of Canterbury?" Craig interrupted.

"I'm his special favorite, no matter what Lily says. Trust me, it's not her, it's me." The Doctor said, holding his finger to his lips. "Are you hungry? I'm hungry."

"I haven't got anything in." Craig told him.

He followed the Doctor back out to the kitchen and watched as he began to raid the fridge and cabinets.

"You've got everything I need for an omelet." The Doctor replied. "Fine herbs! Pour deux!"

He quickly loaded the ingredients into the pan and began cooking.

"So who's the girl on the fridge?" he asked.

"My friend." Craig replied. "Sophie."

"Girlfriend?" the Doctor asked.

"A friend who is a girl." Craig stressed. "There's nothing going on."

"Ah, that's completely normal." The Doctor said. "Works for me. Well, no it doesn't, but Lily tricked me by being all perfect, so it doesn't count."

"Who's this Lily?" Craig asked. "Your girlfriend?"

"That's a good enough description." The Doctor agreed. "But tell me more about you and Sophie."

"We met at work about a year ago at the call center." Craig explained.

"Oh, really, a communications exchange?" the Doctor said. "That could be handy."

"Firm's going down though." Craig said. "The bosses are using a totally rubbish business model. I know what they should do, I got a plan all worked out, but I'm just a phone drone, I can't go running in saying I know best. Why am I telling you this? I don't even know you."

"I've got one of those faces." The Doctor said. "People never stop blurting out their plans while I'm around."

"Right, where's your stuff?" Craig asked.

"Don't worry." The Doctor replied. "It'll materialize, if all goes to plan."

* * *

The TARIDS tried to materialize again.

"Oh, come on." Lily said, fighting with the controls as Amy tried to help. "This is ridiculous. JUST DO WHAT I TELL YOU TO!"

She suddenly switched to another language, and from her tone, Amy was sure she didn't want to know what she was saying.

The TARDIS dematerialized again.

* * *

Back in the flat, Craig and the Doctor were finishing their eggs.

"Oh, that was incredible!" Craig said. "That was absolutely brilliant. Where did you learn to cook?"

"Paris, in the 18th century." The Doctor replied. "No, hang on, that's not recent, is it? 17th? No, no, no, 20th. Sorry, I'm not used to doing them in the right order."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a bit weird?" Craig asked.

"They never really stop." The Doctor answered. "Ever been to Paris, Craig?"

"Nah, I can't see the point of Paris." Craig replied. "I'm not much of a traveler."

"I can tell from your sofa." The Doctor said.

"My sofa?" the man asked.

"You're starting to look like it." The Time Lord replied.

"Thanks, mate, that's lovely!" Craig said, laughing. "No, I like it here. I'd miss it. I'd miss…"

"Those keys?" the Doctor asked.

"What?" Craig asked, confused.

"You're sort of…fondling them." The Doctor replied, pointing to the ones in Craig's hands.

"I'm holding them." Craig shot back, setting them on the sofa arm.

"Right." The Doctor agreed.

"Anyway…" Craig said, getting up and walking to the table by the door, fishing out a set of keys. "These…these are your keys."

"I can stay?" the Doctor asked, meeting him halfway.

"Yeah." Craig replied. "You're weird and you can cook. It's good enough for me." He held up each key. "Right, outdoor, front door, your door."

"My door." The Doctor repeated. "My place. My gaff." He took the keyes. "Ha-ha! Yes! Me with a key."

"And listen, Mark and I, we had an arrangement where if you ever need me out of your hair, just give me a shout, okay?" Craig said, winking.

"Why would I want that?" the Doctor asked, winking back.

"In case you want to bring someone round." Craig replied. "That girl of yours, Lily? Maybe?"

"Oh, I will." The Doctor agreed. "I'll shout if that happens. Yes. Something like…I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS! By the way, that…the rot. I've got the strangest feeling we shouldn't touch it."

He left Craig standing, staring after him.

* * *

The Doctor shut the door to his room and flopped on the bed, the communicator blinking in his ear.

"Earth to Pond and Phoenix." He called. "Earth to Pond and Phoenix. Come in Pond and Lily-girl."

* * *

The two women heard him calling over the speaker and Amy grabbed the microphone.

"Doctor!" she called, causing feedback. "Ooh. Sorry!"

"Could you not wreck my new earpiece, Pond?" the Doctor replied.

"Oh, suck it up." Lily called.

* * *

Craig was lying on his bed, looking over the money the Doctor had given him while he was on the phone with Sophie.

"No, I mean, he seems a laugh." He said. "He's a bit weird, good weird, you know?"

"And he just happens to have three grand on him in a paper bag?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah." Craig replied.

"Wait, wait." She said. "'The Doctor'? Craig, what if he's a dealer?"

* * *

Outside, a woman in clubbing clothes walked down the street.

"Hello." A voice called. "Stop, please. Can you hear me? I need your help."

A/N: So, what did you guys think? Let me know.

Abbey


	63. The Lodger: Showing Off

Disclaimer: Okay, so if I give you back the TARDIS, I get to leave with the Doctor, right?

Ch. 63:

"How's the TARDIS coping?" the Doctor asked.

"She's locked in a materialization loop." Lily reported.

"So she's still trying to land?" the Doctor asked, sitting up.

"Yes." Lily replied. "And she can't and it's giving her and me a headache."

"On another front, I've learned all kinds of new words from Lily." Amy said brightly.

"Lily." The Doctor sighed.

"I got annoyed, so sue me." Lily replied. "Look, whatever's causing this, it's upstairs in that flat, so get off your ass and go fix it."

* * *

"Please." The voice called to the woman outside the flat. "My little girl's hurt."

The woman entered the house.

* * *

"I don't know what it is yet!" the Doctor shot back as he stood up on his bed. "Anything that can stop the TARDIS from landing is big, scary big!"

"I know." Lily sighed. "I don't really like the idea of you going up against this thing alone."

"Wait…" Amy said. "Are you two scared?"

* * *

A figure stood at the top of the stairs.

"I'm so sorry, but will you help me?" the voice asked. "Please."

"Help you?" the woman repeated, climbing the stairs.

* * *

"A bow tie?" Sophie asked. "Are you serious?"

"Hang on a sec." Craig said, hearing the Doctor through the wall.

"What?" Sophie called. "Craig? Craig!"

He got out of bed and walked to the wall between him and the Doctor and listened.

"…Orange juice, Eocene Arbuckle, rare tarantula on the table, ooh!" he heard.

* * *

"I can't go up there until I know what it is and how to deal with it!" the Doctor said.

"And I don't want you to." Lily replied. "But I'm not sure how long I can keep the TARDIS from tearing herself apart."

"It's vital that this 'man' upstairs doesn't realize who and what I am." The Doctor said, bouncing on the bed and smiling. "So no sonicking. No advanced technology. Do you think he'd be able to tell if you jumped in?"

"I don't think so." Lily replied. "Unless you're actively looking for it, Vortex energy is hard to trace. I know Torchwood can do it, but that's because Jack is usually trying to keep tabs on me. What about your earpiece?"

"I've got it on scramble." He replied, jumping to the floor. "To anyone else hearing this conversation, we're talking absolute gibberish."

"And that's different from what we're hearing, how?" Lily asked, smiling.

"Hush." He replied good naturedly.

* * *

"Practical eruption in chicken." Craig through the wall. "Descartes Lombardy spiral."

* * *

"All I've got to do is pass as an ordinary human being." The Doctor continued. "What could possibly go wrong?"

He put on his sunglasses as Amy and Lily exchanged a look inside the TARDIS.

"Have you seen you?" Amy asked.

"So you're just going to be snide?" the Doctor shot back. "No helpful hints? You've been spending too much time with Lily."

"No, she's right." Lily said. "I can pass myself as human with some work, but you? You don't have a hope in hell. I love you more than anything, but you're one of the least human people I know."

"Helpful hints please." The Doctor repeated.

"Hmm, well, here's one…" Amy said. "Bow tie, get rid!"

"Bow ties are cool." The Doctor replied, checking himself in the mirror and putting his sunglasses in his pocket.

Lily and Amy exchanged a look and Amy covered her face with her hands.

"Come on, you two, I'm a normal bloke. Tell me what normal blokes do."

"They watch telly, they play football…" Amy said. "They go down the pub."

"I could do those things!" The Doctor said. "I don't, but I could!"

"They do not, under any circumstances, take apart household items, do you understand me?" Lily said. "I'm not having a repeat of the Weeping Angel fiasco. I am not replacing this Craig's appliances and I doubt he'd appreciate it any more than Martha and I did if you set his house on fire. I still owe Jack for some of the damage to his house."

"I think I want to hear this story." Amy said.

"Oh, it's a good one." Lily said. "We were given this folder full of stuff by this girl, Sally Sparrow-"

There was a crashing noise from the upstairs flat.

"Hang on." The Doctor called. "Wait, wait, wait! Amy? Lily!"

* * *

Amy was screaming, hanging on to the console for dear life as Lily tried to regain some semblance of control. All around them, the TARDIS shook, completely out of control.

* * *

In his room, the hands of the clock spun back and forth as the Doctor watched. He glanced down at his watch and saw the same thing.

"Interesting." He said. "Localized time loop."

* * *

"Ow!" Amy yelled as she fell to the ground. "What's all that?"

"It's a time distortion." Lily replied, pulling herself slowly around the console.

"Whatever's happening upstairs," the Doctor said, "it's still affecting you."

The TARDIS lurched again, making Amy scream and Lily smacked the console.

* * *

Lights flashed through the door of the upstairs flat and the woman screamed.

* * *

"It's stopped…ish!" Amy reported as Lily continued to work. "How about your end?"

"My end's good." The Doctor replied. "Lily, how's the TARDIS doing?"

"You should be glad that the materialization loop is cutting you off from her." Lily said, still working. "She is royally pissed."

"Just…try to keep her calm." The Doctor said.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Lily said, reaching up to pull her hair back. "I'm doing the best I can."

"Okay, so it doesn't sound great, but nothing to worry about, right?" Amy asked.

"No, no, no, not really!" the Doctor agreed. "Just keep the zigzag plotter on full. That'll protect you."

"Amy, would you?" Lily asked, motioning to the lever.

"Sure." Amy agreed, pulling it.

It didn't do anything.

"I said the zigzag plotter!" the Doctor said.

"I pulled the zigzag plotter!" Amy shot back.

"Lily!" The Doctor called.

"Yeah, yeah, hold your horses." She replied, checking a reading. "Um, take two steps to your right and try again."

Amy did as she said and the grating eased. She sighed in relief and Lily got back to her work.

"Now, I must not use the sonic." The Doctor said, tossing a few items from his room on to the bed. "I've got work to do, need to pick up a few items."

"Hey." Lily called, pausing what she was doing. "Be careful, yeah?"

The Doctor paused.

"Yeah." He agreed softly. "You too. Take care of Pond."

"Will do." Lily agreed.

_I love you._ She added silently.

_I love you, too._ He replied. _Stay safe._

He felt Lily nod and go back to work, and he walked out of the room.

* * *

The Doctor walked backwards, pulling a shopping cart. It was full of strange odds and ends and in the distance, a cat yelled. The Doctor paused and glanced up at the second floor.

"Don't get comfortable." He muttered.

He pulled the house keys from his pocket and pulled the cart up to the door, opening it and pulling the cart inside.

* * *

Craig stood outside the bathroom door, listening to the Doctor sing Italian Opera as he took a shower.

"Doctor!" he called, knocking on the door.

"Hello?" the Doctor called back in a singsong voice.

"How long are you going to be in there?" Craig asked.

"Oh, sorry, I like a good soak!" the Doctor replied.

There was a loud banging from above.

"What the hell was that?" Craig muttered, looking up.

"What did you say?" the Doctor called.

"I'm just going to go upstairs, see if he's okay." Craig told him.

"Sorry?" the Doctor called, but Craig was gone.

* * *

Craig opened the door into the hall and headed up the stairs.

* * *

The Doctor peeked around the curtain.

"What did you say?" he called.

* * *

Craig knocked on the door of the upstairs flat and it opened a crack, revealing an older gentleman.

"Yes?" he said. "Hello?"

* * *

"Craig?" The Doctor called.

He grabbed a towel but slipped as he stepped out.

* * *

"It's me from downstairs." Craig said. "I heard a big bang."

* * *

The Doctor sat up on the floor, soap in his eyes.

"No choice…" he muttered. "It's sonicking time."

Blinded by the soap, he reached for his screwdriver, but managed to grab an electric toothbrush.

* * *

"Thank you , Craig, but I don't need your help." The man upstairs said, closing the door.

* * *

The Doctor ran out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped his waist. A few steps later, the towel slipped off his waist and onto the floor.

"Oops!" he said.

He quickly picked up the towel and ran out. He arrived at the base of the stairs and pointed the toothbrush that he still thought was his screwdriver up the stairs as Craig descended.

"What happened?" he demanded. "What's going on?"

"Is that my toothbrush?" Craig asked.

"Correct." The Doctor replied, looking at the object in his hand. "You spoke to the man upstairs?"

"Yeah." Craig said.

"What did he look like?" The Doctor asked.

"More normal than you do at the moment, mate." Craig told him. "What are you doing?"

" I thought you might be in trouble." The Doctor replied.

"Thanks?" Craig said. "Well, if I ever am, you can come and save me with my toothbrush."

The phone began to ring and Craig went back in to answer it. The Doctor cautiously climbed up the stairs as the front door opened and Sophie walked in.

"Ooh!" she said, surprised. "Hello?"

"Ah!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Hello! I'm the Doctor." He came back down the stairs. "Right. You must be Sophie."

"Mm-hmm." She replied, stunned.

The Doctor air-kissed both her cheeks.

"Oh…" She replied, totally confused. "oh!"

With a last look upstairs, the Doctor went back inside the flat.

"No, Dom's in Malta." Craig was saying into the phone. "There's nobody around. Hang on a sec." He pulled the phone away, looking at the Doctor. "We've got a match today, pub league. We're one down if you fancy it?"

"Pub league?" the Doctor repeated. "A drinking competition?"

"No…" Craig replied slowly. "Football…play football?"

"Football." The Doctor parroted again. "Football! Yes, blokes play football! I'm good at football, I think."

"You've saved my live!" Craig said, patting his cheek and returning to the call. "I've got somebody. All right, see you down there. Hey, Soph."

The Doctor went to the fridge and took out a carton of milk.

"Hey, I thought I'd come early and meet your new flat mate." She said.

"Do you play, Sophie?" the Doctor asked, drinking out of the carton.

In him mind, he suddenly became aware of a noise coming from Lily.

"No, Soph just stands on the sidelines." Craig replied. "She's my mascot."

"I'm your mascot?" she exclaimed. "Mascot?"

"Well, not my mascot." Craig quickly covered. "It's a football match, I can't take a date."

"I didn't say I was your date." She told him.

"Neither did I." he shot back.

The three stood in awkward silence and the Doctor realized that the sound he was hearing from Lily was hysterical laughter.

"Better get dressed." He said, handing Craig his toothbrush and heading back to his room.

"Oh, the spare kit's just in the bottom drawer." Craig said, following him.

"Bit of a mess." The Doctor replied, closing the door.

Craig sighed and turned back to Sophie as she picked her keys up off the desk.

"What d'you think?" he asked her.

"You didn't say he was gorgeous!" she hissed.

The Doctor opened his door and popped his head back in.

"You unlocked the door." He said. "How did you do that? Those are your keys, you must have left them last time you came here."

"Yeah, but I…" she said, trailing off. "How did you know these are my keys?"

"I've been holding them." Craig said, closing his eyes in embarrassment.

"I've got another set." Sophie told the Doctor.

"You've got two sets of keys to someone else's house?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah." She replied.

"I see!" he said. "You must like it here too."

He closed the door and left them staring after him.

"Alright will you stop that?" he demanded, putting his earpiece back in.

* * *

Inside the TARDIS, Lily was holding on to the console, tears streaming down her face as laughed even harder.

"You…" she said through her laughter. "In a towel…with a TOOTHBRUSH!...and then…with the kissing…oh my god, I haven't laughed this hard in ages!"

"Amy, if she gets anymore hysterical, slap her." The Doctor ordered.

"I'm okay." Lily said, trying to catch her breath. "I'm okay. It's just…" she broke down in laughter again.

"Oh, for goodness sake." The Doctor sighed. "Look, I'm going out. If I hang about the house all the time, him upstairs might get suspicious. Notice me."

"Football, okay, well done." Amy told him, smiling at the sight of Lily on the ground, still laughing. "That is normal."

"Yeah, football, all outdoorsy." The Doctor agreed. "Now, football's the one with sticks, isn't it?"

"Sticks?" Amy mouthed at Lily.

"He means Cricket." The Time Lady explained. "Oh, this I've got to see."

She pulled herself up and wiped the tears from her face.

"I've got to get dressed and I'll meet you at the park." She told the Doctor, before turning to Amy. "Don't worry, I'm video tapping this. This has got to be recorded. The Doctor. Playing football. I have a feeling this is going to be great."

* * *

The Doctor walked with Craig and Sophie towards the pitch.

"What are you actually called?" Craig asked. "What's your proper name?"

"Just call me the Doctor." The Time Lord replied.

"Yeah." Sophie said.

"I can't say to these guys, 'Hey, this is my new flat mate, he's called the Doctor'." Craig told him.

"Why not?" the Doctor asked.

"'Cause it's weird." Craig replied.

They were greeted by one of Craig's teammates as they approached.

"All right, Craig, Soph." he said brightly. "All right, mate."

"Hello, I'm Craig's new flat mate." The Doctor said, shaking his hand and kissing his cheeks. "I'm called the Doctor."

"All right, Doctor." The man replied easily. "I'm Sean. Where are you strongest?"

"Arms." The Doctor replied.

"No, he means, what position?" Craig explained. "On the field?"

"Not sure." The Doctor said. "The front? The side? Below?"

"Are you any good though?" Sean asked.

The Doctor spun the ball on his fingertip.

"Let's find out." He said, kicking the ball and heading out onto the field.

As they began to play, the Doctor quickly dominated the field. He intercepted passes and scored goals. Soon the crowd was cheering, including Sophie, which upset Craig.

"Theta, stop showing off and let the other boys play!"

Sophie turned to find Lily standing next to her, holding a video camera. She was dressed in a short, pleated, black and purple miniskirt, a tight purple t-shirt, with a black vest over it, and knee high black boots. The Firepoint caught the sunlight and threw rainbows onto her face and hair, which was a mass of black and purple highlights and pulled up into a loose pony tail.

"Lily." The Doctor whined as the men stopped to stare at the other Time Lord.

"Do not make me come out there, Doctor." She warned, grinning.

The Doctor sighed, but passed the ball to a team mate as the game started up again. Soon, he was still the lead player, but the rest of the team was playing as well, and the crowd was still cheering.

"You must be Sophie." Lily said, reaching a hand over to shake the other woman's. "I'm The Phoenix. The Doctor said you were Craig's girlfriend?"

"We're just friends." Sophie said immediately. "The Doctor didn't mention you. Are you his girlfriend?"

"Something like that." Lily replied, smiling.

"So, the Doctor and the Phoenix." Sophie said. "What strange names."

"Yes, they are." Lily agreed.

The Doctor scored another goal and the two women went back to watching. Lily cheered loudly and the Doctor grinned.

A/N: SO what did you guys think? Let me know. I'm dying from review withdrawal. I crave the attention.


	64. The Lodger: You Touched It, Didn't You?

Disclaimer: If you try to take the Doctor away from me, I will cut you.

Ch. 64:

A woman walked down the street and a little girl's voice came out of the intercom.

"Please can you help me?" she called. "Can you help me, please? Can you help me?"

The woman stopped and approached the door.

"Hello?" she called, going in.

The figure of a girl stood at the top of the stairs.

"I've lost my mum, I don't know where she is." The girl called. "Please, can you help me?"

"Help you?" the woman repeated. "You poor thing, what's happened?"

She walked up the stairs and the girl went into the flat.

"Can you help me find her?" she asked.

* * *

The game was over and the team was gathered around a bench, drinking beers. Lily and the Doctor stood with them, the Doctor's arm around Lily's waist, holding her close.

"You are so on the team!" Sean told the Doctor. "Next week, we've got the Crown and Anchor, we'll annihilate them!"

"No, violence, not while I'm around, not today, not ever." The Doctor said seriously. "I'm the Doctor, the oncoming storm…"

"And he was talking about a football match, love." Lily said, smiling.

"Really?" the Doctor asked Sean.

"Yeah." The man replied.

"Lovely, what sort of time?" the Doctor asked.

At that moment, Craig opened a can and it sprayed all over him, making everyone laugh. And again. And again.

The group continued to repeat the second over and over again as the Doctor and Lily moved away.

"Amy?" the Doctor called. "Amy?"

"It's happening again!" Amy yelled back. "Worse!"

Lily closed her eyes and sighed.

"I can't leap back." She said. "The TARDIS is in too much flux. I can't get a fix."

"What does the scanner say?" the Doctor asked.

"A lot of nines." Amy replied. "Is it good that they're nines? Tell me it's good that they're all nines!"

"Yes, yes, it's…it's good!" the Doctor replied as Lily winced. "Zigzag plotter, zigzag plotter, Amy."

They waited for a moment for Amy to reply.

"Amy?" Lily called. "Are you there? Amy?"

"Yes, hello." Amy replied.

"Ah, thank heavens." The Doctor sighed. "I thought the TARDIS had been flung off into the vortex with you inside it, lost forever."

"You mean that could actually happen?" Amy exclaimed. "You have got to get me out of here."

"How are the numbers?" the Doctor asked.

"All fives." She replied.

"Fives?" the Doctor repeated, looking over to see the time loop ending. "Even better. Still, it means the effect's almost unbelievably powerful and dangerous, but don't worry."

"Just hang on, Amy." Lily told her. "I'll be back in just a few minutes."

"Promise?" Amy asked weakly.

"Yeah, I promise." Lily replied, laughing slightly. "Just hang on."

"Hey!" Amy replied. "You…'hang on'!"

The Doctor turned off the communicator and he and Lily moved back to the group as Craig tried to dry himself off.

"Well, this was fun, guys, but I gotta run." Lily said.

The Doctor sighed and she looked up at him.

"I miss you when you're not here." He said, shrugging.

Lily's mouth opened and closed a couple of times. Finally, she smiled softly and leaned up to kiss him.

"I love you." She said. "I'll try to get back later for awhile after I get Amy settled."

"I love you, too." He told her.

She smiled and pulled away. As she turned and walked away, he watched her walk away. When she was out of sight, he felt her jump away, and he sighed and turned back to find the rest of the group staring at him.

"What?"

* * *

Craig came down the hallway and knocked on the Doctor's door. The Doctor quickly opened it, holding a orange traffic cone under his arm.

"Hello, flat mate." He said brightly.

"Hey, man." Craig replied. "Listen, Sophie's coming round tonight and I was wondering if you could give us some space?"

"Oh, don't mind me." The Doctor said. "You won't even know I'm here."

There was another loud noise from above and the Doctor looked up.

"That's the idea." He murmured.

He closed the door and Craig stood there, listening to him through the door.

"Yes, perfect!" the Doctor said. "What a beauty!"

There was some rustling and clinking but Craig just shrugged it off.

* * *

Sophie and Craig were sitting on the couch and Sophie noticed the growing stain on the ceiling.

"That's got bigger." She said.

"Oh, yeah." Craig agreed.

"Are we going out?" she asked him.

"I've had a bit of a weird day, can we do pizza-booze-telly?" he replied.

"Great, love it!" Sophie said happily. "Wait." She quickly shut off her cell phone. "No Melina, no crises, no interruptions."

"Great." Craig replied. "Excellent. Um, Soph…I've…I think…"

"Where's this going?" she asked.

"I think that we…" he tried again. "Should…"

Sophie nodded and waited for Craig to finish.

"I got it!"

The Doctor came running into the room and to the door right as someone knocked on it.

"I win." Lily said, grinning as he threw it open.

She laughed and he picked her up, spinning her around.

"You cheated." He replied, pouting as he set her back down.

She stepped in and gave him a quick kiss.

"I missed you, too." She said.

"I thought you were going out." Craig called.

"Just re-connecting all the electrics, it's a real mess." The Doctor replied. "Lily came to help."

"I did?" Lily asked.

"You did." He replied. "Can you tell me where's the on-switch for this?"

He held up a normal screwdriver.

"They're really on their way out." Craig told Sophie.

"No, I don't mind, if you don't mind." Sophie said.

"I don't mind, why would I mind?" Craig asked, clearly upset.

"Then stay, have a drink with us." Sophie told them.

"What, do I have to stay now?" the Doctor asked and Lily hit him upside the head.

"Do you want to stay?" Craig asked.

"We don't mind." The Doctor said, rubbing his head and glaring at Lily, who simply smiled.

"Okay!" Sophie said brightly.

"Great!" Craig said, not as brightly.

* * *

The Doctor sat in a chair with wires strew all around and on him, while Sophie drank a glass of wine and Craig looked up at the ceiling. Lily came from the kitchen, holding her own glass of wine. She handed it to the Doctor and picked up to wires, quickly joined the together, and took her glass back, kissing him on the cheek and sitting down on the arm of his chair. She reached over and gently ran through the hair at the base of his head, making him smile.

"'Cause life can seem pointless, Doctor." Sophie was saying. "Work, weekend, work, weekend. And there's six billion people on the planet doing pretty much the same."

"Six billion people?" the Doctor repeated. "Watching you two at work, I'm starting to wonder where they all come from."

Lily choked on her wine.

_What? _ The Doctor asked innocently as he patted her on the back.

_You are an evil man._ She replied, coughing.

"What?" Sophie asked while Lily continued to cough. "What do you mean by that?"

"So, the call center." The Doctor continued. "That's no good? What do you really want to do?"

"Don't laugh." She told him. "I only ever told Craig about it. I want to work looking after animals. Maybe abroad? I saw this orangutan sanctuary on telly."

"Ooo, orangutans!" Lily said. "Can I-?"

"No." the Doctor answered immediately.

"Why not?" she pouted.

"One word: Bob." He replied.

"Hey, Bob didn't do anything to you!" she protested.

"So, Sophie, what's stopping you?"the Doctor asked, changing the subject.

"Coward." Lily muttered, setting down her wine and picking up more wires to work on.

"She can't." Craig said. "You need loads of qualifications."

"Yeah, true." Sophia agreed. "Plus, it's scary. Everyone I know lives round here. Craig got offered a job in London, better money, didn't take it."

"What's wrong with staying here?" he asked. "I can't see the point of London."

"Well, perhaps that's you, then." The Doctor said. "Perhaps you'll just have to stay here, secure and a little bit miserable until the day you drop. Better than trying and failing, eh?"

"You think I'd fail?" Sophie demanded.

"Everybody's got dreams, Sophie," the Doctor replied, "very few are going to achieve them, so why pretend?"

He reached forward and picked up Lily's glass of wine. He took a sip, made a face, and spit it back into the glass, handing it back to Lily.

"Really?" she said, sighing. "It was really necessary to ruin the whole glass?"

She shook her head and got up to go back to the kitchen.

"The point is, perhaps, in the whole universe, a call center is where you should be." The Doctor finished.

"Why are you saying that?" Sophie exclaimed. "That's horrible."

"Is it true?" Lily asked, coming back with a new glass of wine.

The Doctor reached for it again and she slapped his hand away as she took a sip.

"Of course it's not true!" Sophie told her. "I'm not staying in a call center all my life, I can do anything I want!"

Lily glanced at the Doctor before they both smiled brightly.

"Oh!" Sophie exclaimed. "Yeah! Right!"

She reached forward and bumped her fist with the Doctor and Lily's.

"Oh, my God!" she said to Craig. "Did you see what they just did?"

"No, what's happening?" he asked. "Are you going to live with monkeys now?"

"It's a big old world, Sophie." The Doctor said. "Work out what's really keeping you here, eh?"

"I don't know." She replied. "Dunno."

"So…" Lily said slowly. "Can you take a break?"

The Doctor looked up at her.

"I guess." He replied.

"Good, cause I have to get back to Amy, so you can walk me out." She told him.

She quickly helped him untangle himself and pulled him out of the seat and to the door. As they stood outside the door, they looked up the stairs.

_Please be careful, Theta._ She said, her eyes serious. _I don't like this. There's something we're not seeing…and it scares me._

_I'm always careful._ He told her, brushing her hair back. _I missed this. Being able to be this close to you. I've missed this so much._

She smiled and leaned into his hand.

_I have too._ She admitted. _As sad as it was to lose Vincent, I learned so much from him. Mainly, I can't get lost in my pain. I love you, Doctor. I know we'll move past all this. Together. And we'll be stronger after it._

The Doctor leaned down and kissed her and she returned the kiss. As he held her tight, he opened his mind to her completely and was rewarded with her doing the same. For the first time since he had regenerated, since he had come back for her, the bond was what it was truly meant to be; a merging of two souls into one. Lily pushed him against the closed door, deepening their kiss, and he pulled her even closer.

Finally, Lily pulled away and they were both breathing heavily.

"I have to go." She whispered as he leaned his forehead against hers.

"Stay." He whispered, kissing her gently.

"I can't." she replied. "I can't leave Amy alone."

The Doctor sighed and leaned his head against the door.

"Fine." He relented. "But when this is all over, we're putting the TARDIS in the vortex, setting Amy up in the movie room, locking our door, and not coming out for a long time."

"Deal." She said, laughing.

She kissed him again and pulled away.

"Call if you need me." She said.

"Will do." He replied, holding her hand until the last moment.

Lily walked to the door and paused to look back at him.

"I love you." She told him, smiling brightly.

"I love you, too." He replied.

She walked out the door and when she had got pretty far away, he felt her jump back to the TARDIS. He then went back in and went straight to his room.

* * *

"So, are you going to be taking off then, seeing the world?" Craig asked as he walked Sophie to the door.

"What?" she asked. "Do you think I should?"

"Yeah…" he said softly. "Like the Doctor says, what's keeping you here?"

"Yeah, exactly!" she replied. "What? Bye."

"See you." He replied.

They hugged.

"See you in a bit." Craig said.

"Yeah." Sophie replied, leaving.

* * *

The Doctor stood in his room, examining the strange, ungainly device he had constructed on his bed. He quickly ducked out of the way as it began to spin wobbly.

"Right." He called. "Shield's up. Let's scan!"

"What are you getting?" Amy asked.

The Doctor looked at a converted digital clock.

"Upstairs." He replied. "No traces of high technology. Totally normal. No, no, no, no, it can't be! It's too normal."

* * *

"That's not possible." Lily said, examining the readings he was sending. "Nothing is that normal."

"Only for you two could too normal be a problem." Amy complained. "You said I could be lost forever. Just go upstairs."

"You won't get lost." Lily assured her, moving around the console. "Not as long as I'm here and I'm not leaving unless the Doctor gets himself into trouble, which is what will happen if he goes up there without knowing what he's facing."

* * *

"Lily's right." The Doctor said. "If I could just get a look in there…hold on." He quickly stopped the device from spinning. "Lily-girl, use the data bank, get me the plans of this building – its history, the layout, everything."

* * *

"Will do." She replied, quickly moving to the monitor and beginning to type. "In the meantime, what are you going to do?"

"I shall recruit a spy." The Doctor replied.

"Why am I suddenly terrified?"Lily muttered to Amy.

* * *

Craig was cleaning up after Sophie's visit and glanced up at the ceiling, seeing that the spot was still growing. Curious, he stepped on a chair and reached out to touch it, stopping himself at the last moment.

"The Rotmeister…" he muttered.

He touched the stain and received a strong shock.

"Ahh!" he exclaimed, quickly pulling away. "Ow!"

He stepped down, shaking his hand.

* * *

The Doctor walked down the hall, carrying a breakfast tray to Craig's door.

"Craig!" he called, knocking on the door. "Craig? Breakfast. It's normal. Craig?" He opened the door. "Craig!"

The man was lying on his bed, not moving. The Doctor rushed over and put the tray down on the bed, kneeling down and grabbing Craig's arm.

"Craig, I told you not to touch it!" he told the unconscious man. "What's that?"

He looked at a long, large streak running up Craig's arm.

"An unfamiliar and obviously poisonous substance." He said to himself. "'Oh, I know what would be really clever, I'll stick my hand in it!' Come on, Craig, breathe."

He pounded Craig's chest and the man gasped.

"Come on, Craig, breathe!" the Doctor repeated. "Thems are healthy footballer's lungs!"

The Doctor grabbed the teapot and ran from the room. When he reached the kitchen, he grabbed the teabags and crammed them all into the pot.

"Right." He said. "Reverse the enzyme decay. Excite the tannin molecules."

He rushed back to Craig's room and made him drink the tea via the spout of the pot.

"I've got to go to work." Craig said hoarsely.

"On no account." The Doctor said, forcing him to drink at the same time. "You need rest. One more."

"It's the planning meeting." Craig insisted. "It's important."

"You're important." The Doctor shot back. "You're going to be fine, Craig."

Craig fell back asleep and the Doctor slipped out. He quickly moved to the door and opened it to find Lily there. She was dressed in a loose pair of jeans, a loose Queen t-shirt, hanging off her shoulder with a white tank peaking out, and her hair dyed black with blonde roots. As she stepped in, she shed the long black sweater she was wearing.

"I felt I was needed, so I came." She said, stepping past him as she kissed his cheek. "You go save Craig's job, I'll stay here and make sure he's able to go back to it."

She went to the couch and pulled out a paperback from her back pocket before flopping down.

"Thanks." The Doctor said, leaning over to kiss her quickly before moving back away.

"Yeah, yeah." Lily replied as he ran out the door.

* * *

Craig rolled over and spotted his clock.

_2:45 pm_

"What!" he exclaimed. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

He quickly jumped out of bed and threw on his work clothes and ran out of his room to find Lily sitting on his couch.

"Ah, you're up!" she said brightly, standing up.

She walked right up to him and quickly checked his eyes and his arm.

"You need to go back to bed." She ordered, pointing. "You touched things you weren't supposed to and now you're sick."

"No, I'm late for work!" he insisted. "I have to go!"

Lily sighed and studied him.

"You're not going to be able to rest until you go, are you?" she asked.

"I have to go." He told her.

"Alright." She said, sighing again and grabbing her sweater. "But I'm going with you so I can drag you back when you pass out."

Craig stared at her, but couldn't figure out a way to get rid of her.

"Let's go." He sighed.

A/N: What did you guys think? I tried something new with the Doctor and Lily's relationship and I hope you like it. Let me know.

Abbey


	65. The Lodger: Kiss the Girl Save the World

Disclaimer: Please just leave me alone, guys.

Ch. 65:

Craig ran down the call center hallway, Lily trailing behind him.

"Oh, afternoon." A man told him.

"I'm so sorry, Michael." Craig said quickly. "I don't know what happened, I've got no excuse."

The Doctor popped up from below a nearby desk, wearing a headset and talking to a customer.

"I think that's not what my screen is telling me, Mr. Lang." he said as Lily leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"What's he doing here?" Craig demanded. "What are you doing here?"

"If that's your attitude, Mr. Lang, please take your custom elsewhere." The Doctor said, blowing a raspberry as he hung up. "Hello, Lily-girl! Having a nice day?"

"Lovely." She replied, smiling. "You?"

"I'm working in an office!" he replied excitedly. "Can you imagine it?"

"Not even if I were seeing it with my own eyes." She replied.

"I know!" he said. "Wait – hold on."

Lily chuckled and shook her head.

"No, no, no, that's one of my best clients!" Craig exclaimed.

"Craig, how are you feeling?" the Doctor asked, smiling. "Had some time to kill, I was curious, never worked in an office. Never worked in anywhere."

"You're insane!" Craig said.

"Leave off the Doctor, I love the Doctor." Michael told him. "He was brilliant in the planning meeting."

"You went to the planning meeting?" Craig demanded.

"Yes." The Doctor replied. "I was your representative. We don't need Mr. Lang any more. Rude Mr. Lang."

"Here you go." Sophie said, arriving with tea and biscuits. "And I found some custard creams!"

"Sophie, my hero." The Doctor said.

"Hi, Phoenix." Sophie said, smiling.

"Hiya, Soph." Lily replied, returning the smile.

"Hi, Craig." Sophie said. "I went on the web, applied for a wildlife charity thing. They said I could always start as a volunteer straight away. Should I do it?"

"Yeah, great, yeah, good, go for it." Craig replied distractedly.

"You look awful." The Doctor told him. "Lily, he should be in bed! About turn. Bed. Now. Who next?" He began typing as Lily kissed his cheek again before wrapping her arm around Craig. "Oh, yes."

"Just F.Y.I., I'm going to have to leave him when I get him back." Lily told the Doctor. "I have to get back to Amy. I don't like leaving her alone for long periods of time."

"Understood." The Doctor said, nodding.

Sophie walked away and Michael waved as Lily led Craig to the door.

"Hello, Mr. Joergensen." The Doctor said into his headset. "Can you hold? I have to eat a biscuit."

He looked up to watch Lily lead Craig through the door. She glanced back at him and her eyes flicked to Sophie. He nodded and she smiled. As she and Craig left, the Doctor watched Sophie's reaction with interest.

* * *

"Okay, go to bed." Lily said as she stood in the door. "I don't want the Doctor coming after me because you dropped. Am I understood?"

"I'm going right to sleep and hoping I wake up." Craig promised weakly.

"Oh, Craig." Lily said sympathetically. "I know the Doctor is a bit much, but he really is a good man. He has your best interests at heart."

"Uh huh." Craig agreed, nodding.

Lily smiled slightly and patted his arm before turning and leaving, closing the door behind her. The moment it was closed, Craig went straight to a drawer and pulled out a spare set of keys. He went to the Doctor's door, opened it, and stepped in.

"What the hell?"

In front of him, the Doctor's device was still spinning on his bed.

* * *

A cat came down the stairs and meowed as the Doctor walked into the hallway.

"Have you been upstairs?" he asked it.

The cat meowed.

"Yes?" the Doctor asked.

The cat replied with a throaty meow.

* * *

Craig was throwing darts when he heard the Doctor in the front hall.

"You can do it." He heard through the wall. "Show me what's up there? What's behind that door? Try to show me. Ohh, that doesn't make sense! Ever see anyone go up there? Lots of people? Good, good."

Craig peered through the peephole and saw the Doctor on the stairs, petting the cat.

"What kind of people?" he asked. "People who never come back down. That's very bad."

Craig opened the door.

"Oh, hello." The Doctor said, looking up.

"I can't take this anymore." Craig said. "I want you to go!"

He went back into the flat and the Doctor followed him.

"You can have this back an' all." Craig told him, shoving the bag of money back at the Doctor.

"What have I done?" the Doctor asked.

"For a start, talking to a cat." Craig shot back.

"Lots of people talk to cats." The Doctor said, throwing the bag over his shoulder.

"Everybody loves you!" Craig exclaimed. "You're better at football than me, you've got a gorgeous girlfriend, you're better at my job than me, and now Sophie's all 'Oh, monkeys, monkey's!' and then…" he went to the Doctor's room and threw the door open, "there's that!"

"It's art!" the Doctor insisted, rushing over. "A statement on modern society, 'Ooh, ain't modern society awful?'."

He quickly reached over and stopped it from spinning.

"Me and you, it's not gonna work." Craig told him. "You've been here three days, the three weirdest days of my life."

"Your days will get a lot weirder if I go!" the Doctor shot back.

"I thought it was good weird, but it's not, it's bad weird!" Craig said. "I can't do this anymore!"

"I can't leave this place." The Doctor insisted. "I'm like you, I can't see the point of anywhere else. Madrid, hah, what a dump! I have to stay."

"No, you don't, you have to leave!" Craig shot right back.

"I can't go!" The Doctor shouted.

"Just get back!" Craig shouted.

Craig went to push the Doctor and the Doctor grabbed him by the lapels.

"Right!" he said. "Only way! I'm going to show you something, but shh! Really, shh! Oh, I am going to regret this. Okay, right…first, general background!"

He slammed his forehead into Craig's and each man grabbed their head in pain with a groan. In his mind, Craig saw the Doctor's previous incarnations and some of his adventures.

"You're a…" Craig gasped, pointing at him.

"Yes." The Doctor answered.

"From…" Craig continued, pointing skyward.

"Shh." The Doctor replied.

"You've got a TARDIS!" Craig exclaimed.

"Yes, shh!" The Doctor said, motioning to his face. "Eleventh! Right…okay, specific detail!"

He head-butted Craig again, filling him in on the reason he was there.

"You saw my ad in the paper shop window." Craig said.

"Yes, with this right above it." The Doctor replied, showing him a note signed by Amy. "Which is odd, because Amy hasn't written it yet. Time travel, it CAN happen."

"That's a scanner!" Craig said, pointing to the device on the Doctor's bed. "You used non-technological technology of Lammasteen."

"Shut up!" the Doctor yelled, clapping his hand over Craig's mouth.

* * *

Sophie entered the front hallway and used her key on the door to the flat. Above her, a figure of a girl appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Please, can you help me?" the girl asked.

"Hi." Sophie said.

"Please." The girl repeated. "Will you help me?"

"What's the matter, my love?" Sophie asked, starting up the stairs. "Help you?"

She followed her into the flat.

* * *

"Aargh!" the Doctor moaned. "I am never, ever doing that ever, ever again…" He reached up and turned on the earpiece. "Amy! Lily-girl!"

"That's Amy Pond and Lily Carter!" Craig exclaimed. "The Phoenix!"

"Oh, of course, you can understand us now, hurrah." The Doctor said. "Got those plans yet?"

* * *

"It's kinda hard to hack a network when we keep phasing out of normal space!" Lily shot back.

"We're still searching." Amy told him.

"I've worked it out with psychic help from a cat." The Doctor told them.

"Cat?" Amy asked.

"Oh, so you can have a cat, but I can't have an orangutan." Lily complained.

"Yes." The Doctor shot back. "I know. He's got a time engine in the flat upstairs. He's using innocent people to try and launch it. Whenever he does, they get burnt up, hence the stain on your ceiling…"

"From the ceiling?" Craig asked.

"Well done, Craig." The Doctor replied. "And you, Miss Pond, but for the grace of the Phoenix, go flying off into the Vortex."

"Lovely!" Amy replied.

"Oh, thanks." Lily said sarcastically.

"No offence." She told her.

"Yeah, yeah." Lily muttered.

* * *

A loud crash came from above.

"People are dying up there?" Craig asked.

And then he began to skip.

"People are dying." He repeated as time repeated. "People are dying."

"Lily!" the Doctor shouted. "Amy!"

* * *

Both Amy and Lily were thrown to the ground as the TARDIS lurched again.

"Oh, for the love of god." Lily growled.

Amy glanced over and saw that the Time Lord's eyes were glowing gold. Lily took a deep breath, closing her eyes, and when they opened again, they were back to their normal swirling gold and gray. Lily pulled herself to her feet and began working on the console.

* * *

"They're being killed!" Craig exclaimed.

"Someone's up there." The Doctor agreed.

He ran out of the room and Craig followed.

* * *

Amy pulled herself up and clung to the monitor handle. Lily moved over and quickly moved her to the jump seat before going back to the monitor.

* * *

The Doctor and Craig quickly ran up the stairs.

"Theta!" Lily called.

"Hang on!" the Doctor replied.

Craig stopped when he saw Sophie's keys in the lock.

"Craig, come on…" the Doctor told him. "Someone's dying up there."

He spotted Sophie's keys and ran upstairs.

"It's Sophie." Craig said. "It's Sophie that's dying up there, it's Sophie!"

He quickly followed the Doctor.

"Theta, stop!" Lily yelled.

The Doctor and Craig arrived at outside the door.

"Where's Sophie?" Craig demanded.

"Wait, wait!" the Doctor said. "Lily?"

"Are you upstairs?" Lily demanded.

"Just going in." he replied.

"There's a problem with that." Lily told him. "You can't be upstairs!"

"Of course I can be upstairs!" the Doctor shot back.

"Come on!" Craig insisted.

"No, you're not understanding me, Theta!" Lily shouted at him. "I'm looking at the building plans. You can't be upstairs because there is no upstairs! It's a one story building! The upstairs isn't real!"

The Doctor and Craig both looked down the stairs and the Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and used it to open the door.

Behind the door was a very advanced spaceship with a control console in the center, much like the TARDIS.

"What?" Craig sputtered.

The two men slowly walked in.

"What?" the Doctor agreed. "Oh. Oh, of course! The time engine isn't IN the flat, the time engine IS the flat! Someone's attempt to build a TARDIS."

"That's not possible." Lily said slowly over the earpiece. "No one should have that kind of tech. That shouldn't be possible!"

"And yet, I'm looking at it." The Doctor replied.

"No, there's always been an upstairs." Craig protested.

"Has there?" the Doctor asked. "Think about it!"

"Yes." Craig replied. "No. I don't…"

"Perception filter." The Doctor said. "It's more than a disguise. It tricks your memory."

"Theta, get out." Lily told him. "Please. Just turn and run. We'll find some other way to fix this."

At that moment, Sophie appeared, screaming as she was dragged by a beam towards the console.

"Sophie!" Craig shouted.

He and the Doctor both ran to her.

"Sophie!" Craig cried. "Oh, my God, Sophie!"

He grabbed her hand and kept her from touching the panel that was glowing.

"Craig!" the Doctor shouted. "It's controlling her. It's willing her to touch the activator."

"It's not going to have her!" Craig declared.

The Doctor used his screwdriver to no avail and Sophie screamed as her hand touched the panel.

"Ah!" the Doctor shouted. "Deadlock seal!"

"You've got to do something!" Craig insisted.

The device let her go and Craig eased her to the ground.

"What?" the Doctor demanded. "Why's it let her go?"

The Doctor looked around and saw dried up corpse on the ground. He crossed to the center of the room and a hologram of the old man appeared.

"You will help me." It told him.

"Right!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Stop! Crashed ship, let's see. Hello, I'm Captain Troy Handsome of International Rescue. Please state the nature of your emergency."

"The ship has crashed." The Hologram told him. "The crew are dead. A pilot is required."

"You're the emergency crash program." The Doctor said. "A hologram. You've been luring people up here so you can try them out."

The Doctor pointed his screwdriver and the hologram changed from the old man, to the little girl, to a younger man, and back to the old man.

"You will help me." The Hologram told him. "You will help me, you will help me."

"Craig!" Sophie exclaimed, coming back. "Where am I?"

"Hush!" the Doctor ordered. "Human brains aren't strong enough, they just burn. You're stupid, aren't you? You just keep trying."

"17 people have been tried." The Hologram replied. "6,000,400,026 remain."

"Seriously, what is going on?" Sophie demanded, standing up.

"Oh, for goodness' sake." The Doctor said, exahasperated. "The top floor of Craig's building is in reality an alien space ship, intent on slaughtering the population of this planet."

* * *

Inside the TARDIS, Amy and Lily listened as Lily moved around, pushing buttons.

"I have to go." Lily told Amy. "The Doctor is going to do something stupid, I can feel it, and I need to be there to help him. I've set the TARDIS up so, if something happens, you should be able to at least keep the status quo."

"Yeah, go." Amy told her. "I'll be fine. Keep the Doctor safe."

Lily quickly kissed her forehead.

"I'll be back." She told her friend. "I won't let anything happen to you. I'm not about to lose anyone else."

"Go, Lily." Amy said.

Lily nodded and, in a flash, was gone.

* * *

"Any questions?" the Doctor continued. "No? Good."

"Yes, I have questions." Sophie said.

"The correct pilot has now been found." The Hologram said.

"Yes, I was worried you'd say that." The Doctor said.

* * *

"He means you, Doctor, doesn't he?" Amy called.

There was a flash and Lily came crashing back into the TARDIS.

"Son of a bitch!" she yelled, climbing to her feet. "Theta, that thing has a shield I can't through."

* * *

Beams of energy reached out and began to pull the Doctor to the panel.

"The correct pilot has been found." The Hologram repeated. "The correct pilot has been found."

* * *

"Theta!" Lily shouted.

"What's happening?" Amy demanded.

"Okay, plan B." Lily muttered, jumping away again.

* * *

"It's pulling me in!" the Doctor shouted, trying to resist. "I'm the new pilot!"

"Can you do it?" Amy asked. "Could you fly the ship safely?"

"No, I'm way too much for this ship." The Doctor replied. "My hand touches that panel, the planet doesn't blow up, the whole solar system does."

The door of the ship blew open and the Doctor managed to stop just before the panel as Lily, glowing gold and her hair whipping around, came straight to his side.

"Too you long enough." He told her.

"Oh, I could come back if you're not ready." Lily shot back.

She pulled out her screwdriver and shoved it into the panel.

"Jesus!" she cursed, dropping her screwdriver, which was now slightly melted.

"The correct pilot has been found." The Hologram repeated.

"No…" the Doctor said. "Worst choice ever, I promise you. Stop this!"

"Doctor, Lily!" Amy yelled. "It's getting worse!"

"Can't you just rip it apart?" the Doctor demanded.

"This whole damn thing seems to be resistant to my powers!" Lily shot back, looking at the panel.

She stopped just short of touching the panel.

"It doesn't want everyone." Lily murmured. "Craig, it didn't want you!"

"I spoke to him and he said I couldn't help him!" Craig replied.

"I didn't want Sophie before, but now it does." The Doctor said. "What's changed?"

He groaned and Lily grabbed his hand, helping him stay in place.

"No!" the Doctor exclaimed. "I gave her the idea of leaving! It's a machine that needs to leave, it wants people who want to escape! And you don't want to leave, Craig! You're Mr. Sofa Man."

"Doctor!" Amy yelled. "Lily!"

"Craig, you can shut down the engine." Lily told him. "Put your hand on the panel and concentrate on why you want to stay!"

"Craig, no!" Sophie protested.

"Will it work?" Craig asked.

"Yes!" the Doctor replied.

"Are you sure?" Craig demanded.

"Yes!" Lily replied.

"Is that a lie?" the man yelled.

"Of course it's a lie!" the Doctor replied.

"It's good enough for me." Craig said. "Geronimo!"

The man slammed his palm onto the panel and screamed as energy began to course through him. The ship released the Doctor and he and Lily collapsed to the ground.

"Craig!" Sophie shouted.

"Doctor!" Amy yelled.

Lily helped the Doctor to his feet and they rushed to Craig's side.

"Craig, what's keeping you here?" the Doctor demanded. "Think about everything that makes you want to stay here! Why don't you want to leave?"

He slapped Craig.

"Sophie!" Craig shouted. "And I don't want to leave Sophie! I can't leave Sophie! I love Sophie!"

"I love you, too, Craig, you idiot!" Sophie shouted back, slamming her hand down on the panel with his.

The ship began to smoke and spark.

"Lily!" Amy shouted.

"Honestly, do you mean that?" Craig asked.

"Of course I mean it!" Sophie replied. "Do you mean it?"

"I've always meant it." Craig told her. "Seriously though, do you mean it?"

"Yes." Sophie said.

* * *

"Ugh!" Amy exclaimed, holding on for dear life.

* * *

"But what about the monkeys?" Craig asked.

"Oh, not now, not again!" the Doctor shouted.

"Craig, the damn planet's about to burn!" Lily told him. "For God's sake, kiss the girl!"

"Kiss the girl!" Amy agreed.

Craig and Sophie did as ordered, and the panel released their hands.

* * *

The TARDIS began to calm and make the normal sound of materialization.

"Doctor, Lily!" Amy called. "You've done it! Aha, you've done it! Oh, now the screen's just zeros! Now it's minus ones, minus two, minus threes…Big yes!"

* * *

As Craig and Sophie continued to kiss, the Hologram cycled through its different voices and projections.

"Help me." It said. "Help me. Help me. Help me."

"Big no." the Doctor replied, holding Lily close to him.

"Help me." It repeated. "Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me."

"Did we switch it off?" Craig asked.

"Emergency shutdown." The Doctor replied. "It's imploding. Everybody out, out, out!"

He took Lily's hand, pulling her out as Craig and Sophie followed.

"Help me." The Hologram continued to repeat. "Help me. Help me. Help me."

"Doctor!" Amy shouted as the other four ran down the stairs and outside as the house began to shake.

They ran across the street and watched as the perception filter fell, leaving the ship visible. At least to them. Other people walked right by without noticing. The two couples watched as the ship folded in on itself until it disappeared.

"Look at them." Craig said, staring at the people on the street. "Didn't they see that? The whole top floor just vanished."

"Perception filter." Lily replied. "There never was a top floor."

She curled into the Doctor's side and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight.

_I need a vacation._ She muttered.

The Doctor just smiled.

* * *

The stain on the ceiling had disappeared and Craig and Sophie were on the couch, kissing.

"So have we spoiled our friendship, then?" Craig asked.

"Totally ruined it." Sophie replied.

"And what about the monkeys?" he asked. "We could save them together, you know. Do whatever we want. I could see the point of Paris if you were there with me."

"First let's destroy our friendship completely." Sophie replied.

The continued to make out on the couch as the Doctor and Lily entered. They spotted the couple and the Doctor quietly hung his keys on the sideboard and they turned to leave.

"Oi!"

They turned and saw Sophie and Craig coming over to them.

"What, you're trying to sneak off?" Sophie accused.

"Yes, well, you were sort of…busy." The Doctor replied.

Craig picked up the keys and held them out to the Doctor.

"I want you to keep these." He told the Time Lord. "Thank you."

"Thank you." The Doctor replied, taking the keys. "'Cause I might pop back soon, have another little stay."

"No, you won't." Craig replied as Lily hugged Sophie. "I've been in your head, remember? But I still want you to keep them."

"Thank you, Craig." The Doctor said sincerely.

"Thank you, Doctor." The man replied.

"Sophie." The Doctor said, as Lily hugged Craig. "Now then. 6,000,400,026 people in the world. That's the number to beat."

"Yeah." Sophie agreed, laughing.

Lily took the Doctor's hand and pulled him to the door and they left, both smiling.

On the fridge, amongst the pictures of Craig and Sophie, brightly colored letter magnets spelled out 'The Doctor and The Phoenix were here'. Below was a picture of the Doctor being held aloft by the football team and Lily laughing in the background.

And next to the fridge, there was a crack in the wall.

* * *

The Doctor set the TARDIS in motion as Lily went down stairs to begin repairs.

"Back in time!" the Doctor told Amy. "You need to go to the paper shop, leave that note for me."

"Right little matchmaker, aren't you?" Amy laughed. "Can't you and Lily find me a fella?"

The Doctor ignored her and put his stethoscope against the console.

"Oh, rectifier's playing up again…" he said. "Hold on."

He moved off to another part of the control room.

"You write the note and I'll change that will." He called.

"You got a pen?" Amy asked.

"Make sure it's a red pen." He replied.

She shrugged and went to his jacket, which was lying on the jump seat. She rooted around for a moment before pulling out a red ring box. She looked at it in confusion for a moment before opening it and staring at the ring that had been hers.

As she did, the crack flashed and grew wider.

A/N: The Lodger is done! Whoo! Anyway, so update time. It's time to start thinking about the next series name! I watched the opening episode, and I think it's going to work. Now if Moffat could just keep from screwing me up, that would be lovely. So, names! I'm leaning towards Far Away to stick with the Nickelback theme, but let me know if you can think of a better one.

Also, in honor of Elisabeth Sladen's passing, I'm considering doing versions of the two Sarah Jane Adventures that include the Doctor. What do you think?

Let me know.

Abbey


	66. Bright Days Before Dark Nights

Disclaimer: If I owned the Doctor, would I be doing this? No, I'd be a slave owner with a Time Lord slave. Jeez people.

Ch. 66:

The three time traveler sat on a beautiful, white, sandy beach. Amy was stretched out on her back, on top a bright blue beach towel, and Lily was lying on her back next to her on a white blanket. Amy was wearing an emerald one piece, with the middle cut out and the top and bottom connected by a strip along her right side, her hair loose, fanned out beneath her, and a pair of dark sunglasses perched on her nose. Lily was in a plain black bikini, with the top untied to prevent tan lines and her hair it's natural honey blonde, pulled up in a messy bun.

The Doctor, on the other hand, looked ridiculous.

He was dressed in a pair of bright blue swimming trunks, paired with a bright red, flowered, Hawaiian shirt. He had his sunglasses on and his nose was bright red with sunscreen. He was sitting on the blanket next to Lily on the blanket. Every few minutes, he would reach out and run his hand down Lily's back, making her shiver. He just didn't seem to be able to help himself, and Amy was nice enough to pretend to not notice.

"This is nice." Amy said. "Just the sand, the water, and the sun."

"Three, actually." Lily said, her voice muffled by her arms.

They had been on Space Florida for three days now. Amy and Lily had spent the first day shopping, the second sleeping. Well, Amy had slept. The Doctor and Lily had found other things to entertain themselves. Either way, none of them had left their rooms in the resort. Now, the third day was being devoted to sunbathing and swimming.

"Not the point." Amy said. "The point is, it's nice to spend a couple days without being chased. No, running, no explosions, no monsters. It's nice and peaceful."

"Oh, no, no, no." Lily moaned, turning her head to glare at Amy. "What is it with you two? Why must you tempt the wrath of the thing high atop the thing?"

"The thing high atop the thing?" Amy repeated.

"Yes." Lily shot back. "Why can't you two just go along with it, and not tempt fate? Do you know what happened last time we tried to take a vacation? I wound up trapped in a bus, trying to keep a group of crazed humans from killing the Doctor to destroy a voice stealing/mind raping entity in the middle of a diamond planet with toxic sunlight! It was a freaking nightmare. This is why we don't say things like: 'What could possibly go wrong?' or 'It's nice and peaceful.'! Why do you two do this to me?"

She let her head flop back down.

"Lily doesn't like it when we mess with her vacations." The Doctor told Amy.

"Really?" Amy shot back. "Look, I'm sure everything will be fine. Nothing will happen."

"Will you. stop. talking.?" Lily demanded, not lifting her head. "You need to go turn around three times and curse."

"Right." Amy agreed. "I'll get right on that."

"Fine, don't take me seriously." Lily said. "Just remember this when this trip goes to hell. Let it be on your head."

"Everything's going to be fine, Lily-girl." The Doctor soothed her.

"Ha!" Lily replied sarcastically.

"Well, I'm going to go swimming." Amy said, standing up after a moment. "You two coming?"

"I'm staying here." Lily said, stretching and resettling. "Have fun."

"Doctor?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, I think I'll stay here, too." He told her. "Just don't wander too far."

"Will do." Amy said, walking away. "You two behave yourselves."

She strolled off as Lily chuckled.

"What if I don't want to behave myself?" the Doctor whispered in her ear as he laid down on his back next to her.

"Hmm." Lily said, smiling as she turned to look at him. "Well, there's always the chance we could scar some poor child who happened to wander by. This is a family resort, remember?"

"Well, that's no fun." The Doctor pouted.

Lily reached around and retied her top before sitting up to lean on her forearms.

"I'm so sorry for you." She said, laughing.

She reached down and swiftly kissed him, but as she tried to pull away, he grabbed her and deepened the kiss. He quickly shifted so he was on top of her, not breaking the kiss. Finally, he pulled away, only to begin kissing her neck.

"And you accuse my regeneration of being affectionate." Lily said breathlessly.

"It's payback time." He replied, moving back up to kiss her mouth.

Suddenly, Lily shifted so that the Doctor was forced to roll over and she moved on top.

"What was that about payback?" she asked innocently.

"What was that about scaring innocent children?" he shot back.

Lily laughed and rolled off him, laying down to rest her head on his chest.

"We should go back to Earth some time." She said after a little while. "I want to check up on Jack and the others."

"I thought you might want to." The Doctor replied. "Frankly, I'm a bit surprised it took you this long."

He felt her become suddenly embarrassed.

"What?" he demanded.

"It's stupid." She said, hiding her face in his chest.

"Nope." He said, moving her face so she had to look at him. "Tell me."

Lily sighed.

"Donna is married to Sean and ecstatically happy." She said. "Martha married Mickey, and now they're off, having the time of their lives, hunting monsters. Gwen and Rhys are together and raising their little boy. I guess I just didn't want to go back when our relationship was in such disarray and have to be confronted with their perfect ones."

"Lily-girl…" the Doctor said softly.

"I told you it was stupid." She said.

"It's not stupid." He said gently. "I hurt you, and I can't imagine it was easy for you to watch Martha and Mickey, or watch Donna get married, but you handled it with tremendous grace. I am constantly amazed by you."

He leaned over and gently kissed her. When he pulled away, she reached up and cupped his cheek.

"I love you." She told him.

"I love you, too." He replied.

She snuggled into his side and they sat in silence, watching the waves lap the shores.

"So, do you want to go after we leave here?" the Doctor asked her.

"Nah." Lily replied, stretching and standing up. "We have all the time in the world."

She reached down to him and pulled him to his feet.

"Let's have a little more fun first." She said, grinning.

He smiled and let her pull him down into the waves.

A/N: Just a little one shot before the Pandorica Opens. Let me know what you think.

***Spoiler Alert!***

**Also strong language alert.**

Okay, boys and girls. I have resisted talking about the Series premiere, but I just can't hold it in any longer.

HOLY CRAP!

The Doctor died! What the FUCK Moffat? What are you trying to do to us?

Next point: I adore Mark Sheppard. He is a god. How happy am I that he's in Doctor Who?

Okay, show of hands, how many of you are now irrationally afraid that there are aliens running around the Earth that we look away from and can no longer remember? Moffat is a twisted, twisted man. I'm going to start a running tally of the things he's made me afraid of, starting with statues, moving on to ticking clocks, gas masks, shadows, and ending now in my fucking memory! What the hell is wrong with this man?

Your thoughts?

Abbey


	67. The Pandorica Opens: Message Across Time

Disclaimer: I don't own the Doctor. I just wish I did.

**A/N: Like the last episode, this will contain everything. OH MY GOD, WE'RE ALMOST DONE WITH SERIES FIVE! WHEN THE HELL DID THAT HAPPEN?**

**Thank you.**

Ch. 67:

_France, 1890_

The rain poured down and, over the sound of rushing water, came the sound of tormented cries.

Inside in his cottage, Vincent Van Gogh lay on his couch, as his doctor and housekeeper stood around him, trying to keep him quiet.

"Vincent, can you hear me?" his doctor asked. "Please, Vincent."

"It's not enough he goes drinking all round the town, now the whole neighborhood has to listen to his screaming." His housekeeper complained.

"He's very ill, Madame Vernet." The doctor rebuked her.

"Look at this." She said, looking at a painting. "Even worse than his usual rubbish."

The doctor came and stood next to her, looking at the painting.

"What's it supposed to be?" Vernet wondered.

In the background, Vincent continued to cry.

* * *

_Cabinet War Rooms, 1941_

"It was found behind the wall in an attic in France."

Bracewell was standing in front of a painting, studying it.

"It's genuine…" he said. "It's a Van Gogh…"

"Why bring it to me?"

Churchill stepped up to his side.

"Because it's obviously a message…" Bracewell replied. "And you can see who it's for."

"Can't say I understand it." Churchill replied.

"You're not supposed to understand it, Prime Minister." Bracewell told him. "You're supposed to deliver it."

* * *

_Stormcage Containment Facility, 5145 _

A phone on a wall began to ring and a guard crossed the corridor to answer it.

"Cell 426." He answered.

He listened to the other end and turned to look at the occupant of the cell.

It was River Song.

"The Doctor?" he asked. "Do you mean Dr. Song?"

River quickly stood up, grabbing the bars.

"Give me that." She ordered. "Seriously, just give it to me. I'm entitled to phone calls."

The guard walked over and handed her the phone. She walked to the back of her cell and held the phone to her ear.

"Doctor?" she said.

* * *

"No, and neither are you." Churchill replied. "Where is he?"

"You're phoning the time vortex, it doesn't always work." River replied. "But the TARDIS is smart, she's re-routed the call."

* * *

"Talk quickly." She told him from centuries in the future. "This connection will last less than a minute."

She listened to the other end of the phone call intently.

"Dr. Song." The guard said.

River nodded and ended the call.

"Are you finished with that?" he asked.

With her back to the guard, River reached into her shirt. After a moment, she walked back and handed the guard the phone.

"You're new here, aren't you?" she asked.

"First day." He replied.

"Then I'm very sorry." She told him.

She quickly grabbed him and kissed him through the bars. Moments later, the alarm was ringing and the other guards were converging on the cell. The guard was inside, pointing his gun in front of him.

"Stay exactly where you are." One of the new guards ordered.

"She had the lipstick, the hallucinogenic lipstick." The first guard said. "She tried to use it on me!"

The guards outside looked at each other in confusion. The guard inside the cell wiped his lips and smiled.

"Your tricks don't work in here, Dr. Song." He said.

The other guards stared at the figure in the guard's sights. Specifically, the stick figure with a speech bubble that said 'Bye!'.

* * *

_The Royal Collection, 5145_

River ran in a dark building, paintings and empty frames lining the corridors. Finally, she found the painting she was looking for and ripped from the frame before heading back. As she climbed the stairs, the lights came on and she found a woman sitting at the top, holding a gun on her.

"This is the Royal Collection, and I'm the bloody Queen." Liz 10 told her. "What are you doing here?"

"It's about the Doctor, Ma'am." River said.

She heard the click of a gun and turned to see a young blonde holding a gun on her from behind.

"What about my father?" she demanded.

"Jenny Carter." River breathed. "I'm a friend of your parents. My name is Dr. River Song."

"I've heard my mother talk about you." Jenny said, not lowering her gun an inch. "Friend is not the word I think she would use to describe you."

"Your mother loves me, she just doesn't know it yet." River said, smirking slightly. "But that doesn't matter now. Your mother and father are in trouble. I need to find them."

Jenny hesitated for a second, then lowered her gun, as did Liz.

"Then why are you stealing a painting?" Liz asked.

"Look at it." River said, handing it over.

Jenny edged around her and went to stand next to the Queen as they both studied the painting.

"I need to find the Doctor and the Phoenix, and I need to show them this." River said.

Liz and Jenny both looked at the painting before staring at River.

* * *

_Maldovarium, 5145_

River sat in a booth with a salesman.

"Now, word on the belt is, you're looking for time travel." The salesman told her.

"Are you selling?" River shot back.

The man snapped his fingers and another alien came in, carrying a box.

"A vortex manipulator, fresh of the wrist of a handsome Time Agent." He said, opening the box.

He sighed.

"I said OFF the wrist." He told his companion.

The alien took the box away.

"Not cheap, Dr. Song." The salesman said. "Have you brought me a pretty toy?"

River took off one of her jeweled earrings.

"This is a Calisto Pluse." She told him. "It can disarm micro-explosives from up to 20 feet."

"What kind of micro-explosives?" the man asked, sipping his drink.

"The kind I just put in your wine." She replied.

* * *

Amy was sitting under the console on the repair harness. In her hand she held the box that held the engagement she didn't remember. She took it out and slipped it on her finger just as the Doctor poked his head down.

"Vavoom!" he called.

"Va-what?" Amy asked, jumping.

The Doctor popped back up and began running around the console flicking switches as Amy joined him. Lily came in, yawning, dressed in her pajamas still.

"Nice pants." Amy told her, smiling.

Lily looked down at her black pajama bottoms, which had pink bunnies and said 'It's all about me. Deal with it.' all over them.

"I thought so." She said, shrugging and throwing herself into the jump seat.

"I'm taking you to one of the most spectacular things in the universe, and you can't even get dressed?" the Doctor complained.

"Theta, I was asleep." Lily told him. "You're lucky I even got up."

"Yes, well I can't believe we never thought of this before, it's genius." He told her. "You're going to be so jealous you didn't come with this."

"I'm sure I will." She said, patronizingly. "Now, why don't we get this over with so I can get back to my nap?"

"Whatever you say." He told her. "Right! Landed, come on."

He headed for the door.

"Where are we?" Amy asked.

"Planet One, the oldest planet in the universe." The Doctor told her, going back and pulling Lily to her feet. "There's a cliff of pure diamond and, according to legend, on the cliff there's writing, letters 50 feet high, a message from the dawn of time, and no-one knows what it says, 'cause no-one's ever translated it. Till today."

"What happens today?" Amy asked.

"Us." He replied, tapping her nose. "The TARDIS can translate anything. All we have to do is open the doors and read the very first words in recorded history."

He took her hand and pulled both women out the door.

Lily took one look at the words and her eyes flashed gold and she growled.

'_HELLO SWEETIE' _was written there with some other markings.

The Doctor winched and Lily glared at him.

"I swear I had no idea." He told her, holding up his hands.

Lily continued to glare at him as she held up her hand and snapped. There was a flash and a very nice word appeared on the cliff below the writing.

She growled at the Doctor one more time before stalking back into the TARDIS and slamming the door behind her.

"Lily!" the Doctor shouted before a crashing sound came from inside and he winced again. "Right. I'll just stay out here, shall I?" Another crash. "Right."

"Vavoom." Amy said, smirking.

* * *

When the Doctor finally felt it was safe to enter the TARDIS again, he and Amy found the control empty. There was a scorch mark on the wall and the Doctor swallowed.

"Amy, why don't you go find Lily?" he said.

"Coward." Amy said, chuckling.

"Oh, definitely." The Doctor agreed. "I'll just be here, figuring out where River Song is sending us now."

Amy shook her head and walked out of the control room. She started her search in Lily's music room before moving on the bed room she shared with the Doctor.

"Lily?" she called, knocking as she entered.

"He's such a coward." Came the reply from the bathroom.

"Oh, I agree." Amy said, sitting down on the bed.

Lily came out, putting the finishing touches on her hair, the color shifting to settle on a dark burgundy with blue streaks. She strode to her closet and started looking for something to wear.

"So I assume we're rushing off to find out what the mysterious Professor Song wants this time?" she asked.

"I guess so." Amy replied.

"Do you know what happened the last time the woman roped me into something?" Lily said, turning to face Amy. "I wound up being chased across the largest library in the universe by flesh stripping shadows and almost being blown up by a computer with the mind of a child. That woman is bad news. This won't end well, mark my words."

She spun back around and grabbed a pair of jeans and began pulling them on.

"River was the one to tell me about you." Amy said. "When I met her, she actually rebuked the Doctor for leaving you behind."

Lily paused.

"I may not like River Song, but it's more out of fear than anything else." She said finally. "I don't know who she is to the Doctor or to me, and it terrifies me. But, according to her, there comes a time in the future when the Doctor and I trust her, and she was kind to me when I was more scared than I ever have been."

She sighed and grabbed a low cut black t-shirt with a fleur-de-lis done in rhinestones. She pulled it on and a black leather jacket over it. Finally, she grabbed a pair of flat soled boots and sat down next to Amy to pull them on.

"Go tell the Doctor I'm coming and that I promise to play nice." She said finally. "I'll be up there in a moment."

Amy nodded and got up. After a moment, Lily sighed and followed her. ….

The Doctor, Lily, and Amy stepped out of the TARDIS to find themselves on a rocky cliff.

"Right place?" Amy asked.

"Just followed the coordinates on the cliff face." The Doctor replied. "Earth. Britain." He looked down at his watch. "1:02 am. No, pm."

"Try AD." Lily told him, looking over the cliff.

Beneath them was a large Roman encampment.

"That's a Roman Legion." Amy marveled.

"Well, yeah." The Doctor said. "The Romans invaded Britain several times during this period."

"Oh, I know." Amy said. "My favorite topic at school. Invasion of the hot Italians. Yeah, I did get marked down for the title."

"Totally unfair." Lily commiserated. "I think that's an awesome title. And probably very true."

"I know, right?" Amy replied.

"Can we focus?" The Doctor asked as a breathless soldier ran up to them.

"Hail, Caesar!" the soldier said, saluting with a fist to his chest and kneeling.

"Hi." The Doctor replied lamely.

"Welcome to Britain." The soldier said. "We are honored by your presence."

"Well, you're only human." The Doctor said. "Arise…Roman person."

"Why does he think you're Caesar?" Amy asked.

"Better question, you couldn't come up with anything better than Roman person?" Lily asked.

The soldier stood and they spotted smudges of lipstick on his face.

"Cleopatra will see you now." He told them.

"Oh, I have a bad feeling about this." Lily muttered as they followed him.

* * *

They entered a tent and found River, sitting on a throne, dressed as Cleopatra, and being waited on by two servants.

"Hello, sweetie." She said brightly.

Lily didn't even stop. She strode right up to the woman, grabbed her by the throat, and a gold shield appeared, pushing everyone back.

"Lily!" The Doctor shouted as the two servants cowered on the floor.

"Hello, Phoenix." River said calmly.

"Hello, River." Lily replied, just as calmly. "Mind telling me what you're up to so I can decide if I should kill you or not?"

"I will tell you if you let me go." River said, stressing the end of the sentence.

Lily held on for a second longer before letting go and dropping the shield. As she backed away, River gently rubbed her throat.

"I'm warning you, River." Lily said, crossing her arms. "If I get chased by Vashta Nerada again, I'm kicking your ass."

"Spoilers." River told her.

"Bite me." Lily shot back. "See, I can have a catch phrase too!"

River smiled.

"It's good to see you, too." She told her, genuine warmth in her voice.

"Humph." Lily replied acridly.

The Doctor looked between the two women, and when he decided there wasn't going to be bloodshed, he decided to move on.

"You graffiti-ed the oldest cliff-face in the universe." He accused.

"You wouldn't answer your phone." She shot back.

River clapped her hands and the two terrified servants made a run for it. When they were gone, she held out a scrolled canvas to the Time Lords.

"What's this?" Lily asked.

"It's a painting." River replied. "Your friend Vincent."

The Doctor reached forward and snatched it away, immediately unrolling it.

"One of his final works." She continued, standing up. "He had visions, didn't he? I thought you ought to know about this one."

"Doctor?" Amy asked. "Lily? What is this?"

In the Doctor's hands was a painting of an exploding TARDIS.

* * *

The Doctor, Lily, River, and Amy rode across the field on horseback.

* * *

_Earlier, inside the tent_

"Why's it exploding?" Amy asked as they examined the painting.

"I assume it's some kind of warning." River replied.

The Doctor sat down heavily and Lily moved to his side, kneeling down and taking his hand. After a moment, he squeezed it with a slight smile.

"Something's going to happen to the TARDIS?" Amy asked.

"It might not be that literal." River replied. "Anyway this is where he wanted you. Date and map reference on the door sign, see?"

"Does it have a title?" Lily asked, her eyes not leaving the Doctor.

"The Pandorica Opens." River replied.

* * *

"Come on." The Doctor shouted, spurring his horse on. "YA!"

* * *

"The Pandorica?" Amy asked. "What is it?"

"A box." River replied. "A cage. A prison. It was built to contain the most feared thing in all the universe."

The Doctor surged to his feet and began pacing as Lily rocked back on her heels.

"Come off it, River." She said. "The Pandorica is a fairy tale, a legend. A story Koschei used to tell me to scare me when I was a child."

"I'm sure he didn't believe in it." River agreed. "And I'm sure that it was a good thing for the rest of the universe that he didn't. Can you imagine the devastation if it is real and the Master had gotten his hands on its power?"

"No, Lily's right." The Doctor said as his mate glared at River. "It can't be real."

"If it is real, it's here and it's opening." River replied. "And it's got something to do with your TARDIS exploding."

The Doctor went to the table and pulled out a map of the surrounding area.

"Hidden, obviously." River said. "Buried for centuries. You won't find it on a map."

"No." Lily said slowly, getting to her feet as she caught the Doctor's train of thought. "But if you were to bury the most dangerous thing in the universe, you'd want to remember where you put it, right?"

* * *

The four riders rode straight across the ground to Salisbury Plain. To Stonehenge.

* * *

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and began using it on some of the stones lying on the ground, River took out a scanner and began typing in information, and Lily knelt down, her eyes burning gold as she sent her power into the ground, searching.

"How come it's not new?" Amy asked, walking around.

"Because it's already old." River replied. "Been here thousands of years. No one knows exactly how long."

She looked up at the sky.

"Okay, this Pandorica thing." Amy said. "Last time we saw you, you warned us about it, after we climbed out of the Byzantium."

"Spoilers!" River replied, putting a finger to her lips.

"No, but you told the Doctor you'd see him again when the Pandorica opens." Amy protested.

"Maybe I did." River said. "But I haven't yet. But I will have. Doctor, I'm picking up fry particles everywhere. Energy weapons discharged on this site."

The Doctor stood on a large stone.

"If the Pandorica is here, it contains the mightiest warrior in history." He said. "Now, half the galaxy would want a piece of that. Maybe even fight over it."

He jumped off the rock.

"Then why doesn't this ground know blood?" Lily said, standing up as the light faded from her eyes and she brushed off her jeans. "I can't find any sign that a life has been taken here. If they fought over the Pandorica, wouldn't someone have died?"

The Doctor looked around the ring.

"We need to get down there." He said.

A/N: So, what do you guys think? Let me know if you think I over did the animosity between River.

Abbey


	68. Author's Note

_**Author's Note:**_

Hey guys, I know you're waiting for a new chapter of I'd Come For You, but I've come across something that has really upset me and I felt you should know about.

I was recently made aware in a review that there was another story out there that bore some very disturbing similarities to my stories, in particular, copying my story word for word and just changing a name, and changing the story slightly.

Now I don't mind people using my story for inspiration. I don't even mind people using parts of my story like a line here and there, but I would at least like the courtesy of being asked for my permission and if you're going to steal my ideas, you could at least give me the credit. I mean, it is my words and my hard work you're using to further your story, so I don't think being given the credit for it is asking too much.

Now, many of you have asked to use an idea I used or just for general help, and I have always been willing to do whatever I can to help, and I really do enjoy talking with other writers out there, but this has really disheartened me.

I'm not going to post the name of the story or the writer, because I don't want to give them the satisfaction of giving their story the notoriety. All I can say is that this whole thing has really upset me, even if that seems a little stupid.

I promise that I will continue to write no matter what, but I may need a little time to get past this. I hope you all can understand.

Abbey


	69. The Pandorica Opens: Unopened Boxes

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, but I do own the parts I wrote.

Ch. 69:

River placed a device on the corner of the large stone. Around them, they had set up several large lights.

"Why doesn't Lily just wave her hand and…you know?" Amy asked.

"I don't want to risk setting anything off." Lily replied. "River's way is…safer."

It seemed to the others that that sentence almost killed Lily.

"Thank you." River said, grinning.

"Shut up." Lily shot back.

"Right then." She said, walking back to the Doctor and Lily. "Ready."

River pressed a button on her scanner and the rock slid to the side, revealing stone steps underneath. The Doctor took a step forward as River took a torch from her pocket and switched it on. Suddenly, there was a flash and they turned to see Lily holding a proto-star in her hands.

"A flashlight." She told River. "How quaint."

River sighed and switched off her flashlight as Lily tossed the star into the hole.

"After you." She told the Doctor brightly.

"I thought you were going to play nice." He said as he passed her.

"When has that ever actually happened?" she called, following him and leaving River and Amy to follow her.

"What is this place?" Amy asked as they climbed down.

"The under-henge." The Doctor replied.

They passed a torch and the Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to light it. Behind a rock, unseen to them, the head of a Cyberman came to life.

* * *

The Doctor stepped out of the narrow passage and lit another torch and River brought another torch to light off it. Lily's star was above them, hanging above a large set of doors that were shut with a large board. Lily walked up to it and gently touched it, separating the atoms so it fell to the ground in a fine dust. The Doctor nodded to River and they pushed the doors open and Lily's star zipped through to hang high above them in a large, cavernous room, directly above a large cube covered in strange circular, gear like markings.

"It's the Pandorica." Lily whispered.

"More than just a fairy tale." River said.

Lily was so distracted by the sight in front of her that she didn't even glare at River. She and her mate moved forward so they were standing on either side of it. Lily noticed a cyber-arm on the ground and kneeled to look at it. The Doctor, meanwhile, placed a hand on the box.

"There was a goblin, or a trickster, or a warrior." He said. "A nameless, terrible thing, soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies. The most feared being in all the cosmos. And nothing could stop it, or hold it, or reason with it. One day it would just drop out of the sky and tear down your world."

"How did it end up in there?" Amy asked.

Lily reached forward and gently rested her hand against the box, her eyes and hand glowing slightly.

"You know fairy tales." The Doctor answered Amy, watching his mate closely. "A good wizard tricked it."

He walked around the other side of the Pandorica as River handed her torch to Amy as she took out her scanner.

"I hate good wizards in fairy tales." She told the girl. "They always turn out to be one of them."

"That's cause we're awesome." Lily said.

"Of course." River agreed sarcastically.

"Doctor, I don't like her." Lily complained.

"I'm aware." He replied, focusing on the box.

"So it's kind of like Pandora's Box, then?" Amy asked. "Almost the same name."

"Sorry, what?" the Doctor asked.

"The story." Amy explained. "Pandora's Box, with all the worst things in the world in it."

The Doctor put his torch in a holder then used his screwdriver on the Pandorica.

"That was my favorite book when I was a kid." Amy said.

The Doctor stopped what he was doing and walked towards Amy, while, on the ground, Lily closed her eyes in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Amy asked.

"Your favorite school topic, your favorite story." He said. "Never ignore a coincidence, unless you're busy. In which case, always ignore a coincidence. Lily, what is that?"

Amy and River started at the shift in conversation as the Time Lord focused on his mate.

"I don't know." She replied. "It's like…a barrier. Something I can't get through."

Her eyes snapped open and she glared at River.

"Why is it every time we hook up with her, my powers always start going on the fritz?" Lily demanded. "It's like those damn Vortex resistant handcuffs."

"Handcuffs?" Amy asked.

"Spoilers." River said at the same time.

"Bite me." Lily shot back.

"Refocus please." The Doctor said. "Lily, keep trying."

Lily took a deep breath and closed her eyes again.

"So can you open it?" River asked.

"Easily." The Doctor replied. "Anyone can break INTO a prison, but I'd rather know what I'm going to find first."

"It's already opening." Lily said suddenly.

The others turned to stare at her and River began scanning the box.

"She's right." She agreed. "There are layers and layers of security protocols in there, and they're being disabled, one by one. Like it's being unlocked from the inside."

"How long do we have?" the Doctor asked.

"Hours at the most." River replied.

"Less." Lily amended. "I'd be surprised if the final protocols don't unlock in the next hour or two. I can't see them exactly, but I can feel them falling, one after another."

"What kind of security?" the Doctor asked.

"Everything." River said. "Deadlocks, time-stops, matter-lines."

Lily's eyes snapped open and she threw herself away from the box.

"What is it?" the Doctor asked, moving to her side in an instant.

"Koschei." Lily whispered.

"What?" he demanded.

"It's his tech." she said. "I can feel it. The tech he used to bind me. Someone's adapted it to keep me out. Whoever built this knew we'd be here eventually. Someone is using my brother's technology to keep me from getting in there."

"What could need all that?" The Doctor said, getting up and moving to the box.

River knelt next to Lily.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine." Lily replied, getting to her feet, but the others could see that the gold was starting to overpower the gray in her eyes. "Better question: What could get past all that?"

"Think of the fear that went into making this box." The Doctor said.

Amy heard a rustling sound and turned, but didn't see anything.

"What could inspire that level of fear?" the Doctor muttered, more to the box than anyone else. "Hello, you. Have we met?"

"So why would it start to open now?" River asked.

"No idea." The Doctor replied.

"Hmm, and how could Vincent have known about it?" Amy asked. "He won't even be born for centuries."

The Doctor took out his screwdriver and began scanning the pillars.

"The stones!" he exclaimed. "These stones are great big transmitters, broadcasting a warning to everyone, everywhere, to every time zone. The Pandorica is opening!"

"Doctor…" River said. "Everyone? Everywhere?"

She glanced at Lily and the two women's eyes met for the first time that day without any animosity on either side. Just fear.

"Even poor Vincent heard it in his dreams." The Doctor continued. "What's in there, what could justify all this?"

"Doctor, everyone?" River repeated.

"Anything that powerful, I'd know about it." The Doctor said. "Why don't I know?"

"Theta!" Lily said sharply. "You said everyone could hear it. We followed it here. So who else did?"

He stared at her.

"Oh." He said simply.

"Oh?" Amy repeated. "Oh, what?"

They all ignored her as River pressed her scanner against a pillar.

"Okay, if it is basically a transmitter, we should be able to fold back the signal." She said.

"Doing it." The Doctor replied, pointing his screwdriver at the pillar.

"Doing what?" Amy asked.

"Stonehenge is transmitting a warning." Lily explained as the other two worked. "It's been transmitting for awhile. So the question of the hour is, who heard?"

"Okay, should be feeding back to you now." The Doctor called. "River, what's out there? Getting anything?"

"Give me a moment." River replied.

"We don't have a moment." Lily told her. "What's there?"

"Around this planet," River said slowly, "there are at least 10,000 starships."

"At least?" Amy asked.

"10,000, 100,000, 1 million, I don't know." River said. "There's too many readings."

"What kind of starships?" the Doctor asked.

River flipped on the speaker.

"MAINTAINING ORBIT."

Lily's breathing became shallow and rapid as she backed away from the others, holding herself tightly.

"I OBEY." Came the reply. "SHIELD COVER COMPROMISED ON ION SECTORS."

"Lily…" the Doctor said, approaching her.

"Don't touch me." She ordered, her voice layered with many voices.

She looked up at him and he saw that her eyes were burning gold.

"Please." She begged. "Don't touch me."

The Doctor froze.

"What's happening to Lily?" Amy demanded.

"The Phoenix was given her powers to protect the Doctor." River explained to her as she watched the Time Lords carefully. "Specifically from the Daleks. The greatest massacre of the Daleks is attributed to her. She turned their entire empire to dust in the space of minute."

"SCAN DETECTS NO TEMPORAL ACTIVITY." The Daleks continued.

"REVERSE THRUST FOR COMPENSATORY STABILIZATION."

Lily fell to the ground, her skin rippling with gold as she tightened her hold on herself.

"LAUNCH PRELIMINARY ARMAMENTS PROTOCOL."

"River, turn it off!" the Doctor ordered.

River rushed to do it and the Doctor kneeled next to his mate.

"Lily-girl?" he asked softly.

There was no response.

"Dark Phoenix?" he said slowly.

Lily's pure gold eyes flew up to meet his.

"I am…" she said slowly, having difficulty with the words. "The Phoenix. I am in control."

The strangeness faded from her voice and the gold retreated from her eyes slightly.

"I am in control." She repeated, her voice stronger.

"Yes, you are." The Doctor replied, reaching out to gently touch her cheek.

She reached up and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly, before letting go and closing her eyes with a sigh.

"Get to work." She told him softly.

"Yes." The Doctor said, getting to his feet. "Okay, okay, okay, okay. Dalek fleet. Minimum, 12,000 battleships, armed to the teeth. But we've got surprise on our side! They'll never expect four people to attack 12,000 Dalek battleships, 'cause we'd be killed instantly. So it would be a fairly short surprise."

"Can't Lily just take care of them?" Amy asked.

"No." Lily replied harshly. "Not again. Never again."

"Doctor, Cyber-ships." River called suddenly.

"No, Dalek ships." The Doctor replied. "Listen to them, those are Dalek ships."

"Yes." River agreed. "Dalek ships _and_ Cyber-ships."

"What?" Lily demanded, surging to her feet.

She went to look at the scanner with River. River looked at her and saw the gold was still overpowering the gray and swallowed.

"Well, we need to start a fight, turn them on each other." The Doctor said. "It's the Daleks…they're _so_ cross…"

"Sontaran." Lily said, awe in her voice. "Four battle-fleets."

"Sontarans!" The Doctor said. "Talk about cross, who stole all their handbags?"

"Terileptil." River read from the scanner. "Slitheen. Chelonian. Nestene. Drahvin. Sycorax. Haemo-goth. Zygon. Atraxi. Draconian."

"Basically, if they hate us, they're here." Lily summed up. "All of them, for the Pandorica."

The Doctor turned to the box.

"What are you?" he murmured.

Lily turned and took off for the stairs, the Doctor on her heels and Amy and River following after. When they reached the top, they stared at the sight in the sky.

"What do we do?" Amy whispered.

"Doctor, Phoenix, listen to me!" River insisted. "Everything that has ever hated you is coming here tonight. You can't win this. You can't even fight this. Doctor, Phoenix, this once, just this one time, please, you have to run."

"Run where?" Lily asked. "Where do we run that they won't find us?"

"Fight how?" River shot back. "How do you fight a force like that?"

The Doctor took out a pair of binoculars and looked back the way they came.

"With the greatest military machine in the history of the universe." He said.

"What is?" Amy asked. "The Daleks?"

"No, no, no." the Doctor replied. "The Romans!"

* * *

River rode straight back to the Roman encampment and found her into the tent blocked by two guards. They escorted her inside and found the commander of the camp pacing.

"So," he said, "I return to my command after one week and discover we've been playing host to Cleopatra. Who's in Egypt. And dead!"

"Yes." River agreed. "Funny how things work out."

The ground shook as a ship flew overhead.

"The sky is falling, and you make jokes." He told her. "Who are you?"

"When you fight Barbarians, what must they think of you?" River asked.

"Oh, riddles now?" the commander demanded.

"Where do they think you come from?" River pushed.

The man drew his sword.

"A place more deadly and more powerful and more impatient than their tiny minds can imagine." He replied.

River pulled out her gun and shot a nearby cabinet, turning it to dust.

"Where do I come from?" she asked the stunned commander. "Your world has visitors. You're all Barbarians now."

"What is that?" the man demanded. "Tell me, what?"

"A fool would say, the work of the gods." River said. "But you've been a soldier too long to believe there are gods watching over us. There is, however, a man and woman. And tonight, they're going to need your help."

"Sir?" one of the soldiers called.

"One moment." The commander said.

He went to the entrance where he held a whispered conversation with the soldier.

"Well," the commander said, turning back to River, "it seems you have a volunteer."

A/N: Okay, so I want to start out by thank you all for the show of support. It was really appreciated. Also I feel I should clarify some things. First, I don't mind if you take the parts that are actually part of the episodes, I just ask that you give me credit. Also, I don't mind if you use the same idea. I really just draw the line at being able to line your story up next to mine and see not only the same words, but the same typos! But you guys have been awesome, and the story has been taken down, as well as the author profile. So let's just let that be the end of it.

Let me know what you guys think!

Abbey


	70. The Pandorica Opens: Remember Me

Disclaimer: Oh, please. If I owned Doctor Who I'd be tons happier than I actually am.

Ch. 70:

Amy lit more torches as the Doctor and Lily examined the Pandorica.

"So what's this got to do with the TARDIS?" she asked.

"Nothing, as far as I know." The Doctor replied.

"But Vincent's painting…" Amy said. "The TARDIS was exploding, is that going to happen?"

"One problem at a time." Lily said. "This thing's got force-field technology, as well as vortex-resistant tech, which we're not even going to talk about. Theta, if we can enhance the signal, we could extend it all over Stonehenge."

"Could buy us half an hour." The Doctor agreed, nodding as he went to work.

"What good is half an hour?" Amy asked.

"There are fruit flies that live on Hoppledom 6 that live for 20 minutes and they don't even mate for life." The Doctor told her. "There was going to be a point to that. I'll get back to you."

"No there wasn't, and no he won't." Lily called. "I'm going to go up top and check to see the status on River."

She walked off, leaving Amy and the Doctor alone. Amy reached into her pocket and pulled out the ring she had taken from his jacket.

"So…" she said. "Are you proposing to Lily?"

"I'm sorry?" the Doctor asked.

"I found this in your pocket." She replied.

He looked up to see the box in her hand.

"No." he said. "No, no, that's, uh…a memory. A friend of mine and Lily's, someone we lost."

He reached for a box but Amy pulled it away.

"Do you mind?" he asked.

"It's weird, I feel…I don't know." She said. "Something."

"People fall out of the world sometimes, but they always leave traces." The Doctor said, looking at her curiously. "Little things we can't quite account for. Faces in photographs, luggage, half eaten meals…rings…Nothing is ever forgotten, not completely. And if something can be remembered, it can come back."

Amy snapped the box shut and handed it back.

"So, was she nice, your friend?" she asked.

"No sign of River still." Lily called, coming back.

She looked between the two of them.

"What?" she asked.

The Doctor shook his head and turned back to the Pandorica.

"What'd I miss?" Lily asked, walking over to Amy.

"Nothing." Amy replied, shaking her head.

"Alright." Lily said slowly.

Suddenly, the Doctor turned back to them.

"Amy, remember that night you flew away with me?" he asked.

"Of course I do." She replied.

"And you asked me why I was taking you and I told you there wasn't a reason?" he continued. "I was lying."

"What, so you did have a reason?" Amy asked.

"Your house." He said.

"Oh." Lily said, seeing in his mind.

"What oh?" Amy asked. "What about my house?"

"It was too big, too many empty rooms." The Doctor told her. "Does it ever bother you, Amy, that your life doesn't make any sense?"

Suddenly there was a laser fire and Amy screamed as they all ducked for cover behind the Pandorica.

"What the hell?" Lily yelled.

"Okay, what was that?" Amy demanded.

"Need a proper look." The Doctor said. "Got to draw its fire, give it a target."

"Your blocking me." Lily said. "Things never go well when you block me."

"You know how sometimes I have really brilliant ideas?" he asked.

"No." Lily said.

"Yes…" Amy said at the same time.

"Sorry!" he replied.

He ran out into the open, his arms spread above his head.

"Look at me, I'm a target!" he yelled.

The laser fired again and the Doctor ducked behind a pillar.

"Oi, idiot, what is it?" Lily called.

"Cyber-arm." He replied. "Arm of a Cyberman."

"Really?" she said sarcastically.

"And what's a Cyberman?" Amy asked.

"A bastardized combination of man and robot." Lily told her. "The organic part must have died off ages ago, so all that's left is the robot part, and it can't function without new organic material."

"What, us?" Amy demanded.

"It's just like being an organ donor, except you're alive and sort of screaming." The Doctor said. "I need to get round behind it, could you draw its fire?"

"Like you did?" Amy exclaimed.

"You'll be fine if you're quick." He replied. "It's only got one arm. Literally."

He smiled and gave her two thumbs up. Amy nervously returned the gesture, while Lily flipped him off.

"Don't worry." Lily told her. "I'll protect you."

She patted the girl on the arm before shoving her out. Amy ran, screaming, as the arm shot at her. As the beam flew at her, though, it hit a bright gold shield. The Doctor came up behind the arm and dived to grab it, using the screwdriver on it.

"Theta?" Lily called.

"Scrambled its circuits, but stay where you are." He called back. "It could be bluffing."

"Bluffing?" Amy demanded as Lily came out and walked towards her. "It's an arm!"

"I said stay where you are!" the Doctor said, standing up.

Lily sighed and moved up to his side, as Amy stopped and backed up slightly, crossing her arms angrily. Suddenly, something wrapped around her leg.

"Doctor?" she said, looking down to see a wire. "Lily!"

The wire pulled her legs out from under her.

"Amy!" the Doctor yelled.

Lily raised her hand, but the arm suddenly released a large dose of energy and both Time Lords collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Doctor!" Amy yelled. "Lily!"

Behind her, a Cyberman head appeared, using it's wires to pull itself closer to Amy, binding her wrists. As she fought, she grabbed it and pulled it up so it was level with her head. Suddenly, a seam appeared down the middle and it popped open, revealing a dried up skull. Amy screamed and the skull fell out before the helmet began snapping at her, attempting to catch her. She quickly slammed it against a pillar and threw it to the ground. She backed away it started scuttling across the ground.

"Doctor!" she shouted.

The head shot a small dart into her neck.

"You will be assimilated." It told her.

"Yeah?" she shot back. "You and whose body?"

There was the sound of footsteps and Amy turned to see a body, missing the head and arm, approaching. It stopped and picked up the head, replacing it before resuming its march towards her. Amy grabbed a torch to try to defend herself, but the drugs from the dart began to take effect. She backed away and fell through a double set of doors, quickly shutting them.

"Lily!" she screamed.

The Cyberman pounded on the door, trying to get to her, and then it suddenly stopped. Amy crept to the door and pressed her ear against it.

"Doctor?" she called softly.

She jumped back as a sword was thrust through the door and it swung open to show the Cyberman pinned and sparking. A Roman soldier stood just beyond it, but Amy wasn't able to see him clearly as the drugs rushed through her system.

"Who…?" she said, slurring. "Who are you…?"

The man removed his helmet.

"Hello, Amy." Rory said.

Amy passed out and Rory quickly caught her.

"Whoa, whoa!" he said, picking her up.

He carried her to a stone table and set her down, caressing her hair as another soldier entered.

"Sir, the other woman and the man are coming round." He told Rory.

"Amy?" he heard the Doctor call. "Where's Amy?"

He came running into the room, Lily right on his heels.

"She's fine, Doctor." Rory said. "Just unconscious."

"Okay…" the Doctor said, rushing to Amy's side as Lily froze, staring at Rory and the Doctor checked Amy with his screwdriver. "Yes, she's sedated, that's all. Half an hour, she'll be fine. Okay, Romans, good. I was just wishing for Romans, good old River. How many?"

"50 men up top, volunteers." Rory said, before pointing to the Cyberman. "What about that thing?"

"50?" the Doctor asked. "Not exactly a legion."

Rory nodded to the other soldier, who left.

"Your friend was very persuasive, but it's a tough sell." He told him.

"Yes, I know that, Rory, I'm not exactly one to miss the obvious." The Doctor said. "But we need everything we can get." He pulled out two large guns from a chest. "Okay, Cyber-weapons. This is basically a sentry box. So, headless wonder here was a sentry. Probably got himself duffed up by the locals. Never underestimate a Celt."

As the Doctor blathered on, Lily walked up to Rory.

"Theta..." She said softly.

"Hush, Lily." He continued. "Why leave a Cyberman on guard? Unless it's a Cyberthing in the box. But why would they lock up one of their own? Okay, no, not a Cyberthing, but what, what? No, I'm missing something obvious, Rory!" He turned to face Rory and Lily was between them. "Something big, something right slap in front of me, I can feel it!"

"Yeah, I think you probably are." Rory agreed as Lily reached up to take his face between her hands, her eyes bright.

"I'll get it in a minute." The Doctor said.

He strode out of the room, guns in hand. Lily gasped and threw her arms around Rory, hugging him tightly.

"Hi, Rory." She whispered, her voice thick.

"Hi, Lily." He replied, hugging her back, just as tightly.

"I've missed you." She told him and he could feel her tears on his neck.

"Believe me when I tell you, I've missed you too." He replied.

Lily laughed and pulled back to take his face between her hands again, pulling his head down so she could kiss his forehead. As she released him and hugged him again, there was a loud clatter and the Doctor slowly re-entered, sans weapons. Lily pulled away and moved to Rory's side, holding his hand tightly as the Doctor stood in front of him, staring at him. He slowly reached out and poked Rory in the chest and Rory swayed slightly.

"Hello again." The Doctor said.

"Hello." Rory replied.

"How've you been?" the Doctor asked.

"Good." Rory replied. "Yeah, good. I mean, Roman."

"Rory, I'm not trying to be rude, but you died." The Doctor told him.

"Yeah, I know." Rory said. "I was there."

"You died and then you were erased from time." The Doctor said. "You didn't just die, you were never born at all, you never existed."

"Erased?" Rory asked. "What does that mean?"

"How can you be here?" the Doctor asked.

"I don't know." Rory replied. "It's kind of fuzzy."

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"Well, I died and turned into a Roman." Rory replied. "It's very distracting!" He reached over and ran a hand across Amy's cheek. "Did she miss me?"

Neither the Doctor nor Lily answered and there was a loud whooshing and rumbling. They ran out of the room and into the main cavern to find green symbols glowing on the side of the Pandorica. The Doctor quickly whipped out his screwdriver while the Roman soldiers watched.

"What is it?" Rory demanded. "What's happening?"

"The final phase." Lily said. "The damn thing's opening."

The Doctor laid his hand against the box.

"It's opening." He whispered.

* * *

Rory and Lily made their way to the surface and saw hundreds of ships whizzing about in the night sky. All of them began to aim beams of light directly at Stonehenge.

* * *

River sat on her horse up on the ridge, looking down at Stonehenge.

"You're surrounded." She called through her communicator. "Have you got a plan?"

* * *

"Yes!" The Doctor replied, lying on his side next to the Pandorica. "Now hurry up and get the TARDIS here. I need equipment!"

* * *

River rolled her eyes and rode off.

* * *

"What are you?" the Doctor muttered to the box. "They're all here, all of them, all for you. What could you possibly be?"

* * *

The ships continued to fly across the sky when everyone heard the sound of feedback.

"Sorry, sorry." Came the Doctor's voice. "Dropped it."

Rory looked around for the Doctor and Lily pointed to the hole in the ground, grinning.

"Hello, Stonehenge!" he called. "Who takes the Pandorica, takes the universe. But bad news, everyone…" he jumped onto the large flat stone. "'Cause guess who? Ha! Listen, you lot, you're all whizzing about, it's really very distracting. Could you all just stay still a minute? BECAUSE I AM TALKING!"

All the ships froze.

"The question of the hour is, who's got the Pandorica?" the Doctor called. "Answer…I do."

"Excuse me?" Lily called.

"Okay, we do." The Doctor amended. "Next question, who's coming to take it from me? Come on! Look at me, no plan, no back-up, no weapons worth a damn. Oh, and something else, I. don't. have. anything…to…lose! So if you're sitting up there in your silly little spaceship, with all your silly little guns, and if you've got any plans on taking the Pandorica tonight, just remember who's standing in your way. Remember every black day I ever stopped you. And then, AND THEN, do the smart thing. Let somebody else try first."

Lily held out her hand and the Doctor helped her up onto the stone and she took the communicator from him.

"Special message to the Daleks." She called. "This is the Phoenix speaking. You might know me better as the Bringer of Fire, Destroyer of Worlds."

For the first time since she had regenerated, Lily let the full scope of her power come to bear as her eyes burned gold and the air around her began to shiver as her power poured out of her.

"I was the victor in our last encounter." She said, her voice layered with the voices of many. "If you're ready for round to, come and find me."

There was a moment of silence before all the ships promptly turned tail and fled. Lily closed her eyes and her powered dissipated. She opened her eyes and sighed, handing the communicator back to her mate. The Doctor squeezed her hand and jumped down before grabbing her around her waist and lifting her down. He kissed her gently before turning around and tossing the communicator to Rory.

"That'll keep 'em squabbling for half an hour !" he said. "Romans!"

* * *

River entered the TARDIS and immediately went to the console, setting the coordinates to take her to the Doctor.

"Okay…" she murmured.

The TARIDs took off with a jolt.

"What's the matter with you?" she asked.

* * *

"They're still out there." Rory said, joining Lily and the Doctor in the under-henge. "What do we do now?"

"If we can stop whatever's in this box getting out, then they'll go home." The Doctor said.

"Right." Rory said.

Lily turned and looked past him before focusing on him.

"Rory, I really need you to be brave right now." She told him softly, taking his hand and squeezing it slightly. "I'm so sorry."

Amy walked up to them, rubbing her head, and right past Rory without even looking at him.

"Oh, my head." She moaned.

"Aaahhh." The Doctor said, opening his mouth.

"Aaahhh." She mimicked.

The Doctor did a quick exam.

"Just your basic knock-out drops." He told her. "Get some fresh air, you'll be fine."

"Is it safe up there?" she asked.

"Not remotely, but it's fresh." The Doctor replied.

"Fine." She said.

She turned and bumped into Rory.

"Oh, you're the guy, yeah?" she said, still out of it. "The one who did the…swordy thing."

"Yeah." Rory replied, confused.

"Well, thanks for the swording." She told him. "Nice swording."

She tapped him on the shoulder and walked off.

"No problem." He said, even more confused. "My men are up there. They'll look after you."

"Good." Amy replied. "Love a Roman!"

He watched her go up the stairs.

"She doesn't remember me." He said, turning back to the Time Lords. "How can she not remember me?"

"Because you never existed." Lily replied softly.

* * *

The TARDIS was definitely not behaving for River.

"What are you doing?" she demanded. "What's wrong?"

* * *

"There are cracks." Lily told Rory as the Doctor continued to work on the Pandorica. "Cracks in time. At some point in the future, there's going to be a gi-normas explosion, on one particular day. And the whole of history is cracking around it."

"So how does that work?" Rory demanded. "What kind of explosion? What exploded?"

"Doesn't matter, the cracks are everywhere." The Doctor said. "Get too close and you can fall right out of the universe."

"So I fell through a crack and now I was never born?" Rory asked in shock.

"Basically." The Doctor replied.

"How did I end up here?" Rory asked.

"We don't know." Lily told him. "You shouldn't have. What happened? From your point of view, what actually happened?"

"I was in the cave, with the Doctor and Amy." Rory said. "You were in the TARDIS, but then you came out and I was dying, and then I was just here, a Roman soldier. A proper Roman. Head full of Roman…stuff, a whole other life. Just here like I'd woken up from a dream. Started to think it was a dream. You and Lily and Amy and Leadworth. Then today, in the camp, the men were talking about the visitors, the girl with the red hair. I thought you'd come back for me. But she can't even remember me."

"Oh, shut up." The Doctor said.

"What?" Rory demanded.

Lily smiled and went the Doctor, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the ring box. She walked back to Rory and pressed it into his hand.

"Go and get your girl." She told him warmly.

"But I don't understand." He told her. "Why am I here?"

"Because you are." The Doctor said, smiling. "The universe is big. It's vast and complicated and ridiculous, and sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles, and that's the theory. 900 years, never seen one yet. But this would do me. Now get upstairs, she's Amy and she's surrounded by Romans. I'm not sure history can take it."

Rory nodded and the Doctor slapped him on the back before he quickly made his way out of the chamber and up the stairs. Lily walked up to the Doctor and wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her head on his chest.

"You're such an old softie." She said, smiling.

"Oh, shut up." He told her. "Come on, let's get back to work."

Lily nodded and they moved back to box.

A/N: So, what did you guys think? Let me know! We're almost done!

So, latest DW comment. For people who've seen Day of the Moon, you'll understand. For those of you who haven't, you will when you see it.

WHAT THE FUCK, MOFFAT? ARE YOU TRYING TO DESTROY MY STORY? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT I'M GOING TO HAVE TO DO TO WORK AROUND THAT KISS?

God, how insensitive can that man be? Jeez.

Abbey


	71. The Pandorica Opens: Unholy Alliance

Disclaimer: Leave me alone, you vultures! The Doctor is mine! Bwahahaha!

Ch. 71:

The TARDIS came to a stop with a jolt.

"Okay?" River asked. "You okay now?"

The monitor acted up and River whacked a few times before leaving. As she stepped out of the door, the monitor showed that the location was Earth and the date was 26/6/2010.

The screen then cracked.

"Silence will fall."

* * *

River found herself in front of a two story house.

Amy's house.

"Why have you brought me here?" she muttered to herself.

She held out her scanner and slowly walked towards the door. The scanner began to beep and River saw strange markings burned into the grass.

"Okay, so something's been here." She said.

The door hung off its hinges, and River carefully proceeded inside. She walked up the stairs and entered Amy's room. Inside she saw dolls made to look like the Doctor.

"Amy…" she said softly. "Oh, Doctor, why do the Phoenix and I let you out?"

Nearby she spotted a child's book on Roman Britain with a familiar soldier on the front.

The Commander.

There was another book on Pandora's Box.

"Oh no…" River whispered.

* * *

Amy was sitting on a log with a blanket wrapped around her when Rory found her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Did the Doctor and the Phoenix send you?" she asked. "I'm fine, they just fuss."

"You got a blanket." Rory observed. "That's good. Who gave you that?"

"One of the fellas." Amy said.

"Which one?" Rory demanded.

"Just one of them." Amy replied. "Does it matter?"

"No, no." Rory said quickly. "Forget him, it. Forget it."

"What's your name?" Amy asked him.

"I'm…Rory." He replied.

Amy stared at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing." She replied. "It's just not what you expect Romans to be called. What's it short for? Roranicus?"

"Yeah." He answered, studying her closely. "You're crying."

Amy's hand flew to her cheek and she wiped away tears in surprised.

* * *

The Doctor pulled out his communicator.

"The TARDIS, where is it?" he demanded. "Hurry up!"

Lily laid her hands on the side of the Pandorica. A moment later, a gold light appeared, swirling around the box as it looked for a crack in the defenses. As it continued to look, Lily growled in frustration.

"Don't raise your voice." River called back. "Don't look alarmed, just listen. Yes, Phoenix, I'm talking about you."

* * *

"Hey, what's wrong?" Rory asked, worried.

"Nothing." Amy replied, crying even harder. "It's like…It's like I'm happy. Why am I happy?"

* * *

"They're not real, they can't be." River told the Time Lords. "They're all right here in the story book, those actual Romans, the ones I sent you, the ones you're with right now. They're all in a book in Amy's house, a children's picture book."

"What are you even doing there?" Lily demanded.

"It doesn't matter." River replied. "The TARDIS went wrong. How is this possible?"

"Something's using her memories." The Doctor replied. "Amy's memories."

"I told you, that box was built specifically to keep me out." Lily said softly. "Something or someone knew we were coming. This whole thing was set up for us."

"But how?" River asked.

"You said something had been there." The Doctor said.

"Yes, there's burn marks on the grass outside, landing patterns." River confirmed.

"If they've been to her house, they could have used her psychic residue." The Doctor said. "Structures can hold memories, that's why houses have ghosts. They could've taken a snapshot of Amy's memories. But why?"

"Doctor, who are those Romans?" River demanded.

"Projections." The Doctor replied. "Or duplicates."

"But they were helping us." River protested. "My lipstick even worked."

"They might think they're real." The Doctor replied. "The perfect disguise. They actually believe their own cover story, right until they're activated."

"Doctor, that Centurion…" River said.

* * *

In Amy's house, River held a picture in her hand. A picture of Amy and Rory. A picture of Rory, dressed as a Roman soldier.

* * *

"What's the matter?" Rory asked.

"Nothing." Amy replied, reaching out to caress his face. "I don't know why I'm doing that."

"It's me." Rory said, his voice breaking. "Amy, please…It's me."

* * *

"It's a trap, it has to be." River said.

"As much as I hate to agree with River, she's right." Lily said. "They used Amy to construct a scenario we'd believe, that you'd believe, to get close to us."

"Why?" the Doctor asked. "Who'd do that?"

"Pick an enemy, any enemy." Lily replied before pointing to the Pandorica. "That thing's got tech from 60 different cultures, and those are just the ones I've been able to identify. Not to mention, whoever it is knows us well enough and is well connected enough to get their hands on anti-vortex technology."

"But what for?" the Doctor demanded. "It doesn't make sense."

* * *

Inside the TARDIS, the console began to spark and the whole ship shuddered.

"River?" the Doctor called. "River? River, what's happening?"

"I don't know, it's the engines." She replied. "Doctor, there's something wrong with the TARDIS, like something else is controlling it."

* * *

"You're flying it wrong." the Doctor told her.

"I'm flying it perfectly." River shot back. "You taught me."

"Where are you?" the Doctor asked. "What's the date reading?"

"It's the 26th June, 2010." River replied.

The Doctor froze.

"Lily, get to her." He ordered. "Now. Get her out of there!"

Lily closed her eyes. There was a flash of gold and she was thrown across the chamber and hit the wall.

"Lily!" the Doctor yelled, running to her side.

She quickly sat up, her eyes burning gold.

"Something's blocking me." She told him. "Theta, we're cut off from her."

"River, you need to get out of there now!" the Doctor shouted. "Any other time zone, just go."

"I can't break free." River replied.

"Well, then, shut down the TARDIS." He told her. "Shut down everything!"

"I can't!" she shouted.

* * *

"Silence will fall."

River froze as she heard the voice.

"Silence will fall."

* * *

Amy pulled her hand away and quickly stood.

"But I don't know you." She protested. "I've never seen you before in my life."

"You have." Rory told her. "You know you have. It's me."

"Why am I crying?" she demanded, backing away from him.

"Because you remember me." He replied. "I came back! You're crying because you remember me."

* * *

"Someone else is flying it." River said. "An external force. I've lost control."

"But how?" the Doctor demanded, helping Lily to her feet. "Why?"

There was a high-pitched whine and the Doctor and Lily covered their ears. All of the Romans dropped, bent over at the waist.

* * *

All the Romans above responded to the sound in the same way. Some began to move away, as if in a trance.

Rory seemed to be the only one fighting it.

* * *

"Listen to me, just land her anywhere." The Doctor ordered River. "Emergency landing, now. There are cracks in time, I've seen them everywhere, and they're getting wider."

Behind the Doctor and Lily, the Romans began to straighten.

"The TARDIS exploding is what causes them." The Doctor continued. "But we can stop the cracks ever happening if you just land her!"

"It's not safe!" River protested.

Suddenly, the Doctor and Lily were distracted by the Pandorica entering the final stage. Two sides of the box began to slide apart, a light from inside shinning on the Time Lords as Lily took the Doctor's hand, moving closer to his side.

"Well, now." The Doctor said softly. "Ready to come out, are we?"

Behind them, the Romans turned in unison and lifted their right hands.

* * *

The Romans began to walk towards Stonehenge, but Rory continued to fight the call.

"No!" he insisted. "No, please, no! I'm not going! I'm Rory!"

Amy watched all this in utter confusion.

* * *

"Doctor, I'm down." River called. "I've landed."

"Okay, just walk out of the doors." The Doctor told her. "If there's no-one inside, the TARDIS engines shut down. Just get out of there."

"I'm going." She replied.

"River, run!" Lily ordered.

The Time Lords moved closer to the Pandorica.

* * *

River did as ordered and ran to the TARDIS doors.

* * *

The fingers of the Roman soldiers' hands flipped down to reveal holes. They marched forward towards the Doctor and Lily, who weren't paying attention as they studied the Pandorica.

* * *

River tried to open the doors, but they wouldn't budge. She growled in frustration and ran back to the communicator.

* * *

"Doctor!" River called. "Doctor! I can't open the doors!"

As the Doctor bent to retrieve the communicator, he saw one of the Roman soldiers behind Lily.

"Lily, look out!" he shouted.

She turned in surprise and the soldier stuck her with a needle. As she felt the serum rush through her blood, her body revolted, heaving, as she fell to the ground.

"Lily!" the Doctor yelled.

He tried to get to her, but two soldiers grabbed him, holding him back.

Lily continued to heave as she felt her powers being stripped from her.

* * *

Above, Rory continued to fight against his programming.

"Listen to me, you have to run." He told Amy. "You have to get as far away from here as you can! I'm a thing. I'll kill you. Just go! Please no, I don't want to go. I'm Rory! I'm…I'm…"

"Williams." Amy said, falling to her knees in front of him. "Rory Williams from Leadworth. My boyfriend." She reached forward and held him by the shoulders. "How could I ever forget you?"

"Amy, you've got to run." He insisted. "I can't hold on, I'm going."

"You are Rory Williams and you aren't going anywhere ever again." She shot back.

* * *

"Doctor, I can't open the doors!" River yelled. "Doctor, please, I've got seconds!"

* * *

A soldier took Lily by the hair and pulled her head back as another approached with a circular device in his hand.

"No." Lily moaned. "Please, no."

The soldier closed the ring around her throat and Lily screamed as her last connections to the Vortex were ripped away from her. The other soldier released her and she fell to the ground, tears streaming down her face.

"Plastic Romans." The Doctor said quickly, trying to take their focus off his mate. "Duplicates, driven by the Nestene Consciousness, eh? Deep cover, but what for? What are you doing? What's in there, eh? What's coming out?"

* * *

River ran cables from the console and quickly attached them to the main doors.

* * *

Two of the soldiers stood facing the Pandorica, with the Doctor held between them, facing the opposite direction. Another went and grabbed Lily by the arm, lifting her and dragging her back.

"The Pandorica is ready." A soldier reported.

"What, you mean it's open?" the Doctor asked.

"YOU HAVE BEEN SCANNED. ASSESSED. UNDERSTOOD. DOCTOR."

The Doctor slowly looked over his shoulder and saw the White Dalek. The Red and Yellow appeared a moment later.

The soldier holding Lily dragged her to the Daleks and threw her down in front of them.

"THE PHOENIX, THE HIGH PREISTESS OF GALLIFREY, SHALL BEAR WITNESS." The Yellow Dalek said.

"To what?" Lily spat.

"JUSTICE." It replied.

* * *

"The ring." Amy said, crying. "Remember the ring? You'd never let me wear it in case I lost it."

"Lily gave it to me." Rory told her.

"Show it to me." She said. "Show me the ring."

"Amy…"

"Come on!" she ordered. "Just show it to me."

His hands shaking, Rory took out the box and opened it.

* * *

Lily was unable to move as the device around her neck tore at her being and the serum raged through her blood stream.

"Scanned?" The Doctor demanded, facing the Daleks now, but still being held by the soldiers. "Scanned by what, a box?"

"Your limits and capacities have been extrapolated." A robotic voice said.

The Doctor turned to find Cybermen, Judoon, and Sontarans.

"The Pandorica is ready." The Sontaran announced.

"Ready for what?" the Doctor demanded.

"Ready for you." The Dalek replied.

As the light from the Pandorica faded, the Time Lords got their first look at its interior. Amidst its advanced technology was a chair featuring restraints. The soldiers began to pull the Doctor forward as he struggled.

"NO!" Lily screamed, surging to her feet, but she was held by a Sontaran and Judoon. "NO, LET ME GO! THETA!"

"YOU WILL BEAR WITNESS!" the Daleks ordered.

"Like hell I will!" she shouted. "Let me go!"

* * *

"There it is." Amy said, looking at the ring in Rory's hand. "You remember. This is you. And you are staying."

Rory's hand opened, revealing his gun.

"No…" he whimpered.

He fired and Amy gasped.

"No!" he shouted, pulling her close. "No!"

* * *

River connected the wires as the TARDIS continued to spark and explode.

* * *

The Doctor was dragged through an ever growing crowd, which now included Silurians, Hoix, and Roboforms.

All the while, Lily screamed and clawed at her captors, trying to get to her mate. Trying to save him.

* * *

River's attempt to open the doors sent more sparks flying from the console.

* * *

The Doctor's enemies watched as he was forced along the gauntlet to the Pandorica.

"Lily!" he shouted.

"Theta!" she screamed. "LET ME GO, YOU BASTARDS!"

* * *

Tears streamed down Rory's face as Amy's body fell backwards, away from him.

* * *

The Doctor was placed in the chair, within the Pandorica, as clamps were placed around his wrists and ankles and a large yoke came down over his shoulders. Lily was moved to right in front of him and forced to her knees as their enemies stood watching.

"You lot, working together, an alliance…" the Doctor said. "How is that possible?"

"THE CRACKS IN THE SKIN OF THE UNIVERSE." The Dalek said.

"All reality is threatened." The Sontaran continued.

"All universes will be deleted." The Cyberman added.

"What?" the Doctor demanded. "And you've come to me for help?"

"No." The Sontaran replied. "We will save the universe from you!"

"From me?" the Doctor sputtered.

"All projections correlate." The Cyberman said. "All evidence concurs. The Doctor will destroy the universe."

"No, no, no." The Doctor protested. "You've got it wrong."

"The Pandorica was constructed to ensure the safety of the alliance." The Cyberman said.

"A SCENARIO WAS DEVISED FROM THE MEMORIES OF YOUR COMPANION." The Dalek told him.

"A trap the Doctor could not resist." The Sontaran added.

"THE CRACKS IN TIME ARE THE WORK OF THE DOCTOR." The Dalek said. "IT IS CONFIRMED."

"You stupid sons of bitches!" Lily shouted. "It's not him, it's the TARDIS! A TARDIS we don't even have! While you're capturing us, the TARDIS is out there right now, exploding! Let us go so we can save your miserable lives!"

"ONLY THE DOCTOR OR THE PHOENIX CAN PILOT THE TARDIS." The Dalek said.

"Please, listen to us!" the Doctor begged.

"YOU WILL BE PREVENTED." The Dalek said, ignoring them.

"Total even collapse!" Lily yelled. "Every sun in the universe will supernova at every moment in history!"

"The whole universe will never have existed!" the Doctor added. "Please, listen to us!"

"Seal the Pandorica." The Cyberman ordered.

"NO!" The Doctor and Lily screamed at the same time.

"Please, listen to me!" the Doctor shouted. "The TARDIS is exploding right now and we're the only ones who can stop it! Listen to me!"

His eyes met Lily's and he went silent as the doors continued to shut. She stared at him, tears streaming down her face.

"I'll save you." She whispered. "I swear it. I'll save you, no matter what. Theta, I'll save you."

He smiled slightly.

"I love you." He told her. "More than anything."

The Pandorica slammed shut, cutting him off from her completely.

* * *

River opened the doors of the TARDIS and found a solid stone wall.

"I'm sorry, my love." She whispered.

She looked over her shoulder as the console exploded.

* * *

Rory held Amy's body to him, sobbing as, above him, every star in the sky went supernova and went out.

Leaving only darkness.

A/N: What did you guys think? Oh my god, only one more episode! Review, peoples, review!

Abbey


	72. The Big Bang: Dark Skies

Disclaimer: No, I don't need a jacket that hugs myself. Jeez, just because I tell you the Doctor is real, you think I'm nuts!

Ch. 72:

_1,894 years later…._

A child's windmill was turning in an overgrown garden with a dilapidated shed, abandoned tools, a bench, and a swing set, set behind a modest house.

"Dear Santa, thank you for the dolls and pencils and the fish." A little girl said. "It's Easter now, so I hope I didn't wake you."

Inside her house, a young Amelia Pond knelt next to her bed.

"But honest, it is an emergency." She continued. "There's a crack in my wall. Aunt Sharon says it's just an ordinary crack, but…I know it's not, because, at night, there's voices. So please, please, could you send someone to fix it? Or a police man. Or…"

Outside was the sound of rushing wind.

"Back in a moment." She said.

She got up from the floor and grabbed her flashlight from the nightstand before running to the window to pull back the curtain. She looked outside, but there was nothing there. She looked up at the moon in the sky.

A sky with no stars.

* * *

Amelia was sitting with her Aunt and a psychiatrist in her parlor as the psychiatrist studied Amelia's painting of the night sky. Complete with stars.

"It's a lovely painting, Amelia." The doctor told her. "And what are all these?"

"Stars." Amelia replied.

"Oh, Amelia!" Sharon exclaimed.

"Tell you what, shall we go outside?" the doctor asked.

She led her outside and they stood looking up at the sky.

"What do you see, Amelia?" she asked.

"The moon." Amelia replied.

"And what else?" the doctor asked her.

"Just the dark." Amelia answered.

"But no stars." The doctor said. "If there were stars up there, we'd be able to see them, wouldn't we? Amelia, look at me." She faced the little girl. "You know this is all just a story, don't you? You know there's no such thing as stars."

Amelia didn't say anything. She just looked up at the sky.

* * *

Amelia lay on her bed, listening to her aunt and the doctor speaking. She got out of her bed and made her way to the top of the stairs to hear better. As she watched, they crossed from the kitchen to the parlor.

"It's quite common, actually." The doctor said. "Throughout history, people have talked about stars in the sky. God knows where it comes from."

"I just don't want her growing up and joining one of those Star Cults." Her aunt said. "I don't trust that Richard Dawkins."

Just as she stood to go back to her room, Amelia saw a figure slip something through the letter slot. She ran down the stairs and grabbed the item off the floor. It was a brochure for the National Museum. She opened it, and in the center was a circled picture of the Pandorica. On the back was a note written in red ink.

'_Come along, Pond.'_

* * *

Amelia tugged her aunt through the foyer and past a number of the exhibits.

"Come on, Aunt Sharon." She stressed.

"Look at that!" Sharon said, pointing to another exhibit. "That's good isn't it?"

"Not that!" Amelia protested. "This way."

"But we're not looking at anything." Her aunt told her.

"This way!" Amelia said.

She saw the room housing the Pandorica and broke free of her aunt. On the way she say to petrified Daleks.

"Amelia!" Sharon yelled.

The young girl pushed her way forward to stare at the Pandorica. She went to drink her soda, but the cup was grabbed from her hand. She looked around to find out who took her drink, but couldn't find anyone. When she turned back, there was a yellow post-it stuck to the Pandorica.

'_Stick around, Pond.'_

Underneath was another message, written in a different handwriting.

'_Trust us, Amelia. It's going to be alright.'_

"Amelia!" her aunt called.

Amelia hid as Sharon entered the room.

"Amelia?" she called. "Amelia?" she left. "Amelia!"

As the day went on, the crowd began to thin out.

"Amelia Pond, please go to the reception, please." Came over the loud speaker. "Your aunt is waiting for you there. Amelia Pond, please go to…"

Amelia came out of hiding from one of the exhibits, knocking a part of it down.

"Sorry." She whispered.

She walked down the hall towards the Pandorica. She ducked under the cord surrounding the Pandorica and removed the note. She placed her hand on the object and it began to glow green. As she heard mechanical noise coming from the box, she ducked back and watched at is opened. The light from inside poured out over the whole room.

Inside was not the Doctor.

"Okay, kid." Amy said, looking at her younger self. "This is where it gets complicated."

* * *

_1,894 years previously…_

Lily sat with her back against the Pandorica, tears streaming down her cheeks as she leaned her head against the box.

"I don't know if you can hear me." She said aloud. "But I want to say I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I couldn't save you."

She pulled her knees up to her chest and laid her head on them as she cried.

"_There's a place for us,"_ she sang softly. _"Somewhere a place for us. Peace and quiet and open air wait for us somewhere. There's a time for us, some day a time for us. Time together with time to spare, time to learn, time to care. Some day! Somewhere! We'll find a new way of living, we'll find a way of forgiving. Somewhere… There's a place for us, a time and place for us. Hold my hand and we're halfway there. Hold my hand and I'll take you there. Somehow, someday, somewhere!"_

Lily sighed and sat up.

"Yeah, right." she muttered.

She kissed her hand and pressed it to the box.

"I have to go check on Amy and Rory." She told her mate. "I promise I'll be back, though. Until I get you out of there, I'm not leaving you alone."

She sighed and got to her feet, leaving the Pandorica behind.

* * *

Rory sat against a log with Amy's body across his lap.

"So the universe ended." He told her. "You missed that. In 102 AD. I suppose this means you and I never get born at all. Twice, in my case. You would have laughed at that. Please laugh! The Doctor said the universe was huge and ridiculous, and sometimes there were miracles. I could do with a ridiculous miracle about now."

"Rory?"

He turned to see Lily standing behind him.

"Oh, no." she whispered, kneeling down.

"I killed her, Lily." Rory said, tears falling. "I killed her. Please tell me you can help her."

"I wish I could." Lily said, also crying. "They took my powers away from me, Rory. They took my powers and they took my mate."

"What do you mean?" Rory demanded. "How could they take your powers?"

"You see this?" Lily said, motioning to the device around her neck. "This was created by my brother to bind my powers, to control me. And with the Doctor inside the Pandorica, I don't have a way of removing it."

There was a flash and the Doctor appeared, wearing a red fez and carrying a mop.

"Rory, Lily!" he exclaimed. "Listen, she's not dead. Well, she is dead, but it's not the end of the world. Well, it is the end of the world. Actually, it's the end of the universe. Oh, no. Hang on!"

He tapped coordinates into the vortex manipulator and disappeared.

"Lily, what the hell is going on?" Rory demanded.

"I have no idea." Lily replied.

Suddenly, the Doctor reappeared without the mop.

"You need to get me out of the Pandorica." He told them. "And we need to get you out of that thing, Lily-girl."

He took out his screwdriver and held out his hand to her. She hesitated for a moment before taking it and letting him pull her up.

"I'm sorry." She whispered as he went to work on her neck ring. "I couldn't save you."

"You did save me." He replied softly.

"What do you mean?" she demanded.

"I could hear you singing." He told her, gently touching her cheek. "As long as I can hear you, I know I'm safe."

He smiled and went back to work.

"Okay." He said finally. "Give it half an hour to cycle off and then you should be able to access enough of your power to burn off the rest of the serum."

She nodded and he handed her the screwdriver.

"You need to get me out of the Pandorica." He told them.

"You're not in the Pandorica." Rory protested.

"I hate paradoxes." Lily told him crossly.

"I know." He replied. "And I am in the Pandorica. Well, I'm not now, but I was back then. Well, back now from your point of view, which is back then from my point of view. Time travel, you can't keep it straight in your head. It's easy to open from the outside…just point and press. Now go."

He disappeared, only to reappear again.

"Oh, when you're done, leave my screwdriver in her top pocket." He told them.

"Understood." Lily said, sighing.

"Good luck!" he told her.

He disappeared again.

"What did he mean?" Rory demanded. "Done what?"

* * *

Lily stood in front of the Pandorica and lifted the sonic screwdriver. As the two sides pulled apart, the Doctor stared at her.

"How did you do that?" he asked.

"You gave us this." Lily replied, holding up the screwdriver.

"No, I didn't." The Doctor said, pulling out his own screwdriver.

"You did." Rory protested. "Look at it."

The Doctor stepped out and Lily tapped her screwdriver against his, producing a spark.

"If the words timey or whimey come out of your mouth, I will punch you." She told him.

"Temporal energy." The Doctor said. "Same screwdriver, at different points in its own time stream. Which means it was me who gave it to you. Me from the future. I've got a future, that's nice."

He looked at Lily and reached forward to pull her into a tight hug.

"I love you." He whispered.

"I love you, too." She replied. "But we've got problems."

She nodded to the petrified remains of their enemies.

"Ooh, that is not good." The Doctor said.

"Yeah." Rory said. "What are they?"

"History has collapsed." Lily told him. "These are the after-images of whole races that have been simply deleted from existence. They're echoes, fossils in time."

"The footprints of the never-were." The Doctor agreed.

"Er, what does that mean?" Rory asked.

"Total event collapse." The Doctor replied. "The universe literally never happened."

"So, how can we be here?" Rory demanded. "What's keeping us safe?"

"Nothing." Lily replied. "We're just at the eye of the storm. The last light in the sky to go out."

"Where's Amy?" The Doctor asked suddenly.

* * *

Lily and Rory led the Doctor to where Amy's body was covered by a blanket.

"I killed her." Rory said softly.

"Oh, Rory!" the Doctor said as Lily wrapped her arm around the young man.

"Lily, what am I?" he asked.

"A Nestene duplicate." She replied sadly.

"A lump of plastic with delusions of humanity." The Doctor said at the same time as he scanned Amy with his screwdriver.

"But I'm Rory now." The man protested. "Whatever was happening, it's stopped. I'm Rory!"

"That's software talking." The Doctor dismissed him.

"Can you help her?" Rory asked. "Is there anything you can do?"

"Yeah, probably, if I had the time." The Doctor replied, standing up.

"The time?" Rory exclaimed.

"All of creation has just been wiped from the sky." The Doctor sneered. "Do you know how many lives now never happened? All the people who never lived? Your girlfriend isn't more important than the whole universe."

With that, Rory hauled out and punched the Doctor in the face, sending him to the ground.

"She is to me!" he told the Time Lord.

The Doctor stared at him for a moment until Lily snorted.

"He punched me!" the Doctor told her. "Aren't you supposed to be on my side?"

"Well, you did deserve it." Lily said, chuckling. "Seriously, teasing him like that! I wanted to punch you."

"What is going on?" Rory demanded.

The Doctor laughed and stood up.

"Welcome back, Rory Williams!" Lily said, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and squeezing him.

"Sorry, had to be sure." The Doctor told him. "Hell of a gun-arm you're packing there. Right, we need to get her downstairs. And take that look off your plastic face. You're getting married in the morning!"

* * *

The Doctor and Rory placed Amy in the chair inside the Pandorica.

"Careful!" Lily said. "Watch her head!"

"You want to criticize or do you want to actually help?" the Doctor demanded.

"I want to criticize." Lily replied.

The Doctor shook his head and they finished putting Amy inside.

"So you've got a plan, then?" Rory asked.

"Bit of a plan, yeah." The Doctor replied. "Memories are more powerful than you think, and Amy Pond is not an ordinary girl."

"Well, that's understandable, what with the crack in time right above her bed." Lily said.

"Right." The Doctor agreed. "The universe pouring through her dreams every night. The Nestenes took a memory print of her and got more than they bargained for. Like you, Rory. Not just your face, but your heart and your soul." He placed his hand on either side of Amy's face and closed his eyes. "I'm leaving her a message for when she wakes up, so she knows what's happening."

The Doctor used his screwdriver to begin closing the Pandorica.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Rory said. "What are you doing?"

"Saving her." The Doctor replied. "This is the ultimate prison. You can't even escape by dying. It forces you to stay alive."

"But she's already dead." Rory protested.

"She's mostly dead, Rory." Lily told him. "And the Pandorica can stasis-lock her that way. All it will need to restore her is a scan of her living DNA."

"Where's it going to get that?" he asked.

The Doctor glanced at his watch.

"In about 2,000 years." He replied.

"Oh, don't forget this." Lily said, holding up the screwdriver.

* * *

Amy fell to the ground on all fours, gasping heavily.

"Are you all right?" Amelia asked. "Who are you?"

"I'm…fine." Amy replied, sitting up on the floor. "I'm supposed to…rest. Got to rest, the Doctor says."

"What doctor?" Amelia asked her.

"He's in here." Her older self said, tapping her own head. "Left a message in my head like I'm an answerphone. Where am I?" She looked around. "Hang on. National Museum, right? I was here once when I was little…" she glanced at Amelia. "Yeah, complicated."

She got up and stood in front of Amelia, putting a hand on her head and measuring against herself.

"Let's see, it's what…?" Amy said, lifting a piece of Amelia's hair. "1996?"

"Who are you?" Amelia demanded.

"It's a long story." Amy said.

She spotted a panel depicting the history of the Pandorica.

"A very long story." She said.

* * *

The Doctor took the vortex manipulator from River's bag.

"She's going to be in that box for 2,000 years?" Rory demanded.

"Yeah, but we're taking a shortcut." The Doctor replied. "River's vortex manipulator. Rubbish way to time travel, but the universe is tiny now. We'll be fine."

"So the future's still there, then?" Rory asked. "Our world?"

"A version of it." Lily told him. "It's not quite the one you know, now that the Earth's all alone in the sky."

"Let's go and have a look at it, shall we?" the Doctor said, holding out his arm. "You put your hand there."

Rory hesitated.

"Don't worry, should be safe." The Doctor told him.

"That's not what I'm worried about." Rory said.

"Amy." Lily sighed.

"She'll be fine." The Doctor told him. "Nothing can get into this box."

"You got in there." Rory pointed out.

"Well, there's only one of me." The Doctor replied. "I counted."

"This box needs a guard." Rory said.

"No." Lily said. "Rory, no. Please, just come with us."

"She'll be all alone." Rory said.

"She won't feel it." The Doctor said.

"You bet she won't." Rory replied.

"2,000 years, Rory." Lily told him. "You won't even sleep, you'd be conscious every second. It'll drive you mad."

"Will she be safer if I stay?" Rory asked. "Look me in the eye and tell me she wouldn't be safer. Look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn't do exactly the same thing if the Doctor had stayed in there."

"Rory…" she sighed.

"Answer me!" he insisted.

"Yes." She replied. "To both."

"Then how can you ask me to leave her?" he asked.

Lily smiled slightly.

"Why do you have to be so infuriatingly human?" she demanded.

"Because right now, I'm not." He replied.

She leaned over and hugged him tightly.

"Stay safe." She whispered.

"See you in 2,000 years." He replied.

Rory turned and walked to the other side of the Pandorica as the Doctor began pressing buttons on the manipulator and Lily took his arm.

"Listen to me." He told Rory. "This is the last bit of advice you're going to get in a very long time. You're living plastic, but not immortal. I have no idea how long you'll last. And you're not indestructible. Stay away from heat and radio signals when they come along."

Rory put on his helmet.

"You can't heal, or repair yourself." The Doctor continued. "Any damage is permanent. So, for God's sake, however bored you get, stay out of…."

The Doctor and Lily disappeared.

Alone, Rory pulled out his sword and began his long vigil as Amy's protector.

A/N: So, what did you guys think? Let me know.

Abbey


	73. The Big Bang: Guardians Good and Evil

Disclaimer: If I promise to return Moffat, will you agree to kill off River?

Ch. 72:

"_According to legend, wherever the Pandorica was taken, throughout its long history, the Centurion would be there, guarding it."_

Amy stood in the museum, watching a video presentation on the Pandorica and its mysterious guardian.

"_He appears as an iconic image in the artwork of many cultures, and there are several documented accounts of his appearances and his warnings to the many who attempted to open the box before its time. His last recorded appearance was during the London blitz in 1941. The warehouse where the Pandorica was stored was destroyed by incendiary bombs, but the box itself was found the next morning, a safe distance from the blaze. There are eyewitness accounts from the night of the fire of a figure in Roman dress, carrying the box from the flames."_

Amy cried as she looked at the artwork depicting the Centurion's rescue of the Pandorica.

"_Since then, there have been no sightings of the Lone Centurion, and many have speculated that if he ever existed, he perished in the fires of that night, performing one last act of devotion to the box he had pledged to protect for nearly 2,000 years."_

"Rory." Amy murmured. "Oh, Rory."

"EXTERMINATE!"

Amy and Amelia turned towards the room's entrance.

"What's that?" Amelia asked.

Amy ran and placed herself between her younger self and the Dalek coming towards them.

"EXTERMINATE!"

There was a flash and the Doctor and Lily appeared between Amy and Amelia and the Dalek.

"…trouble." The Doctor finished. "Oh!"

As he focused on the Dalek, Lily turned to look at the girls.

"Theta, did we plan on there being two of them?" she asked.

"Two?" the Doctor repeated, turning to glance at them. "Complicated."

"When aren't your plans?" Lily asked.

"EXTERMINATE!" the Dalek said. "Weapons systems restoring."

"Aren't you going to do something?" the Doctor asked.

"Love to." Lily replied. "Problem. My brother is still managing to screw me over from beyond the grave." She paused. "Actually, that isn't much of an accomplishment. Usually, he's here, doing it in person."

"Okay, time to go." The Doctor proclaimed.

He grabbed Amy by the hand, while Lily picked Amelia up.

"Come along, Ponds." He said as they took off running.

"EXTERMINATE!"

They ran around the Pandorica and the Doctor crashed into a mannequin, grabbing the fez it was wearing as it fell.

"What are we doing?" Amy demanded as Lily set Amelia down.

"Running into a dead end, where I'll have a brilliant plan, that basically involves not being him one." The Doctor replied.

Lily, in the mean time, was pulling at the device around her neck.

"Come on." She muttered. "Koschei, if you can hear me, this would be a really good time to stop being an irritating asshole and get your tech off me!"

A night guard appeared, shinning his flashlight into the room as the Doctor, Lily, Amy, and Amelia hid behind the Pandorica.

"What's going on?" the man demanded.

"Lily, get them out of here." The Doctor ordered.

"And how do you suggest I do that, oh wise one?" Lily asked sarcastically.

"I don't care!" he replied. "Go! Just run!"

The Dalek turned to the guard.

"DROP THE DEVICE." It ordered.

"It's not a weapon." The Doctor called. "Scan it. It's not a weapon, and you don't have the power to waste!"

"SCANS INDICATE INTRUDER UNARMED." The Dalek agreed.

"Do you think?" the guard asked.

The man dropped his flashlight and his hand opened to reveal a gun. He quickly fired, taking out the Dalek's eyestalk.

"VISION IMPAIRED! VISION…"

They watched as the Dalek lost all its energy. The Doctor and Lily moved out of the Pandorica room, the Doctor holding out his screwdriver, Amy behind them, and the guard moved out of the shadows.

"Amy?"

"Rory!"

She took off running and flew into his arms as he grabbed her in a tight hug.

"I'm sorry." He told her. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. It just happened."

"Oh, shut up." She ordered him, kissing him.

"Yeah, shut up, 'cause we've got to go." The Doctor said, walking up to them. "Come on!"

"Theta, shut up!" Lily ordered. "They've waited a long time for this."

"I waited." Rory told Amy. "2,000 years, I waited for you."

"No, still shut up." Amy replied, pulling him back into a kiss.

"And break!" the Doctor said.

Lily smacked him across the head.

"Come on, they have to breathe, don't they?" he complained, rubbing his head and turning back to them. "Well, somebody didn't get out much for 2,000 years."

Amelia came up to Lily and tugged on her jacket.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Lily said, squatting down.

"I'm thirsty." The girl told her. "Can I get a drink?"

"Sure you can." Lily replied, smiling. "Can't she, Doctor?"

"Oh, it's all mouths today, isn't it?" he groused.

He put the fez on her head, but she shoved it back to him. He glanced around and his eyes fell on the Dalek.

"The light!" he exclaimed. "The light from the Pandorica, it must have hit the Dalek."

The Dalek's weapon jerked.

"Out, out, out!" he ordered, pushing Amy and Rory out as Lily picked Amelia up again and followed.

Rory closed the door behind them and the Doctor soniced the lock.

"So, 2,000 years." The Doctor said. "How did you do?"

"Kept out of trouble." Rory replied.

"Oh." The Doctor replied.

He realized he still had the fez in his hands and put it on his head.

"How?" he asked.

"Unsuccessfully." Rory replied.

"That's alright." Lily said. "I'm sure you did better than he would've. By the way, hello."

She threw herself into his arms and he picked her up, spinning her around once before setting her back down.

"Alright?" she asked.

"Yeah." He replied.

"Good." She said.

"Am I the only one who's planning on not hugging or kissing people?" the Doctor asked, grabbing a mop to block the door.

"The mop!" Rory exclaimed. "Remember? That's how he looked all those years ago when he gave us the sonic!"

"He's right, Theta." Lily agreed. "Off you go."

The Doctor sighed and activated the manipulator, disappearing with a crackle of energy.

* * *

He reappeared 2,000 years ago.

"Rory!" he exclaimed. "Listen, she's not dead. Well, she is dead, but it's not the end of the world."

* * *

The Doctor reappeared.

"Oops, sorry." He said, using the mop to block the door.

"How can he do that?" Amelia asked. "Is he magic?"

"No, he's just an idiot with access to advanced technology." Lily replied, sighing as the Doctor disappeared again.

* * *

The Doctor reappeared in the past, without the mop this time.

"You need to get me out of the Pandorica." He told Lily and Rory. "And we need to get you out of that thing, Lily-girl."

He took out his screwdriver and held out his hand to her. She hesitated for a moment before taking it and letting him pull her up.

"I'm sorry." She whispered as he went to work on her neck ring. "I couldn't save you."

"You did save me." He replied softly.

"What do you mean?" she demanded.

"I could hear you singing." He told her, gently touching her cheek. "As long as I can hear you, I know I'm safe."

He smiled and went back to work.

"Okay." He said finally. "Give it half an hour to cycle off and then you should be able to access enough of your power to burn off the rest of the serum."

She nodded and he handed her the screwdriver.

"You need to get me out of the Pandorica." He told them.

"You're not in the Pandorica." Rory protested.

"I hate paradoxes." Lily told him crossly.

"I know." He replied. "And I am in the Pandorica. Well, I'm not now, but I was back then."

* * *

The Doctor reappeared in the future. Lily came up to him and kissed his cheek.

"I'm still sorry I couldn't save you." She whispered.

"And I still say that you always save me, just by being there." He replied.

She smiled softly and squeezed his hand.

"Right, let's go then." The Doctor said, clearing his throat and leading them up the stairs before stopping. "Wait! Now I don't have the sonic, I just gave it to Rory 2,000 years ago."

He tapped the manipulator again and disappeared.

* * *

"Oh, when you're done, leave my screwdriver in her top pocket." He told Lily and Rory.

He disappeared again.

* * *

The Doctor appeared again.

"Can you stop that?" Lily complained. "I can feel my powers coming back and all that jumping around is giving me a headache."

"Right then." He said, reaching into Amy's pocket and pulling out her screwdriver. "Off we go! No, hand on." He turned to Amelia. "How did you know to come here?"

Amelia reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the pamphlet and the sticky not.

"Ah, my handwriting." The Doctor said.

"And mine." Lily added, looking over his shoulder.

"Okay." The Doctor said, rushing to a stand and grabbing a pamphlet.

Lily ran to a nearby desk and grabbed a post-it and quickly scribbled her part of the note before handing it back to her mate. The Doctor quickly took it and activated the manipulator.

* * *

He slipped the pamphlet through the letterbox and then snuck away, fez still on his head.

* * *

He grabbed Amelia's drink from her hand before disappearing.

* * *

The Doctor reappeared and handed Amelia her drink.

"There you go, drink up!" he told her.

"What is that?" she demanded. "How are you doing that?"

"Vortex manipulator…" he replied. "Cheap and nasty time travel. Very bad for you. I'm trying to give it up."

"Where are we going?" Amy asked.

"The roof." The Doctor replied.

At the landing above them, another Doctor appeared. His jacket was smoking and he fell down the stairs, rolling to a stop. The present Doctor and Lily ran to his side and the Doctor began checking him over with the sonic screwdriver.

"Doctor, it's you." Rory said. "How can it be you?"

"Theta?" Lily said softly, brushing the other Doctor's hair back gently

"Doctor, is that you?" Amy demanded.

"Yeah, it's me." The Doctor replied. "Me from the future."

The other Doctor opened his eyes and suddenly sat up, grabbing the present Doctor and whispering in his ear. He finished talking and fell back to the floor and didn't move.

"Are you…" Amy stuttered. "I mean, is he…Is he dead?"

"What?" the Doctor asked, standing up. "Dead? Yes, yes. Of course he's dead."

He walked over himself as Lily brushed a kiss to the other him's forehead and climbed to her feet, following her present mate.

"Right, I've got 12 minutes." The Doctor said. "That's good."

"12 minutes to live?" Amy exclaimed as they followed the Time Lords. "How is that good?"

"You can do loads in 12 minutes…" the Doctor told her. "Suck a mint, by a sledge, have a fast bath. Come on, the roof!"

"We can't leave you here, dead." Rory protested.

"We don't have a choice, Rory." Lily told him. "We have bigger problems at the moment, starting with what we're going to do about Amelia."

Rory turned around and found that the little girl was gone, her cup lying on the floor.

"Where did she go?" Amy demanded.

She and Rory ran down the steps.

"Amelia?" Rory called.

"There is no Amelia." The Doctor said. "From now on, there never was. History is still collapsing."

"How can I be here, if she's not?" Amy asked.

"You're an anomaly." The Doctor replied. "We all are. We're all handing on at the eye of the storm, but the eye is closing, and if we don't do something, reality will never have happened. Today, just dying is a result. Now, come on!"

He took Lily's hand and they headed off, leaving the humans to follow.

"He won't die." Amy said, shaking her head. "Time can be rewritten. He'll find a way. I know he will."

Rory covered the future Doctor with his jacket.

"Move it!" the Doctor called. "Come on!"

Amy and Rory ran to catch up and behind them, light poured under the door.

"RESTORE!"

* * *

The Doctor and Lily climbed out of the stairwell and onto the roof, and Amy and Rory followed.

"What, it's morning already?" Amy asked.

Above them was a large yellow star.

"How did that happen?" she demanded.

"History is shrinking." The Doctor shot back. "Is anybody listening to me? Universe is collapsing. We don't have much time left."

He leapt onto a ledge and started using the screwdriver on a satellite dish.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked.

"Looking for the TARDIS." The Doctor replied.

"But the TARDIS exploded." Rory pointed out.

"Okay, then." The Doctor agreed, removing the dish from its mounting. "I'm looking for an exploding TARDIS."

There was a click and they turned to see the device around Lily's neck release.

"Ha!" she exclaimed.

She ripped it from her neck and threw it away with all of her might. She closed her eyes and a second later, gold light burst from her. She lifted her hand and they saw the device explode.

"Take that, big brother." She muttered, grinning as she opened her eyes and the light faded. "Now, let's find the TARDIS."

The Doctor returned the grin and went back to work.

"I don't understand." Amy said. "So, the TARDIS blew up and took the universe with it. Why would it do that? How?"

"Good question for another day." The Doctor said, stepping up on a raised section of the roof. "But for now…total even collapse means that every star in the universe never happened. Not one of them ever shone. So, if all the stars that ever were are gone, then what is that?" He pointed to the ball of fire in the sky. "Like I said, I'm looking for an exploding TARDIS."

"But that's the sun." Rory protested.

"It is, is it?" Lily replied.

"Here's the noise that sun is making right now." The Doctor said, holding up the dish and amplifying the sound of the TARDIS with his screwdriver. It was the sound of the TARDIS engines. "That's my TARDIS burning up. That's what's been keeping the Earth warm."

"Doctor, there's something else." Rory said, listening closely. "There's a voice."

The Doctor adjusted the settings on the sonic screwdriver.

"I can't hear anything." Amy said.

"Trust the plastic." Rory replied cheekily.

Amy rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry, my love." Came a voice. "I'm sorry, my love."

"Doctor, that's River." Amy said. "How can she be up there?"

"Because it's not her time to die." Lily replied.

"It must be like a recording or something." Rory said.

"No, it's not a recording." The Doctor replied. "Of course, the emergency protocols…The TARDIS has sealed off the control room and put her into a time loop to save her. She is right at the heart of the explosion."

"I suppose you're going to insist that we go save her ass?" Lily asked, sighing.

"Is there ever going to be a time when you two get along?" The Doctor asked her.

"I seriously doubt it." Lily replied.

* * *

River connected the wires as the TARDIS continued to spark and explode. Her attempt to open the door set off more sparks from the console, but finally it worked. She opened the doors to be greeted by a solid stone wall.

"I'm sorry, my love." She said.

She looked over her shoulder as the console exploded and the scene started over. As she ran towards the door, the Doctor appeared in front of her.

"Hi, honey." He said, smiling. "I'm home."

"And what sort of time do you call this?" River demanded, looking at her watch.

"Oi, can you get Madame Distructo out of here?"

River turned to see Lily at the console.

"What are you going to do?" River asked.

"Try to fix whatever is screwed up and save all our lives." Lily replied, moving around the console.

"I didn't-"

The Doctor grabbed her and they jumped away. The console continued to explode as Lily worked.

* * *

The Doctor reappeared on the roof with River.

"Amy!" she exclaimed. "And the plastic Centurion?"

"It's okay, he's on our side." The Doctor told her.

"Really?" she asked. "I dated a Nestene duplicate once…swappable head, it did keep things fresh."

There was a flash and Lily landed in a heap, screaming.

"Sonofabitch!"

She rolled over and they saw that the left side of her face was burned and her right arm was bent at an odd angle.

"Lily!" the Doctor shouted as they all ran to her.

He knelt down and grabbed her by the shoulders to keep her from moving.

"Just stay still." He told her. "You'll be alright in a moment."

He was right. As they watched, the bones in her arm reset themselves and the burn faded from her face.

"I'm alright." She said a minute later. "God, that hurt."

The Doctor helped her to her feet.

"What happened?" he asked.

"The TARDIS is a lost cause." She reported. "The control is completely engulfed in flames and the cloister bell is ringing."

The Doctor closed his eyes.

"Right then, I have questions." River said after a moment. "But number one is this…What in the name of sanity have you got on your head?"

"It's a fez." The Doctor replied. "I wear a fez now. Fezzes are cool."

River glanced at Amy and the girl grabbed the hat from the Doctor's head. She threw it into the air, and River pulled her gun and took a shot all in one smooth motion. The bolt flew through the air, only to hit a gold wall around the hat. The wall dissipated and the hat moved to fall into Lily's hands.

"Thank y-"

The hat disappeared in a shower of dust.

"Only I get to destroy your fun." She told him, grinning wickedly. "I am so glad to have my powers back!"

"EXTERMINATE!"

A/N: Oooh! Cliff hanger! Does it really count if you've seen the episode and know how it's going to end? Oh well. Let me know what you thought! Review!

Side note:

Some of you have asked why Lily calls the Doctor Theta, and I thought I had answered this question before, but in case I'm a moron and I haven't, I'll do it again!

Theta was supposedly the name the Doctor went by when he was in the Academy. I think it's kind of ridiculous for the Doctor to call Lily 'Lily' and have her calling him 'The Doctor', so by having her call him 'Theta', I think it puts them on more even footing. Also I have it function sort of like an annoying nickname from your childhood that your really close friends still insist on using.

Hope that clears things up!

Abbey


	74. The Big Bang: Rewind and Goodbye

Disclaimer: If I owned the Doctor, David Tennant would be marrying me. It would've been in his contract.

Ch. 74:

The Dalek appeared, levitating up the side of the building.

"Run, run, move, more!" the Doctor ordered. "Go! Come on! Lily, no genocide this time, please?"

"Spoil sport!" Lily yelled, deflecting a bolt from the Dalek as they retreated. After they were all inside, the Doctor used the screwdriver to seal the hatch and Lily added a shield.

"Theta, that thing's just going to find another way in." Lily pointed out as they climbed down.

"It needs to restore its power before it can attack again." He replied. "Now, that means we've got exactly," he checked his watch, "four and a half minutes before it's at lethal capacity."

"How do you know?" Rory asked.

"Because that's when it's due to kill me." The Doctor replied.

"Kill you?" River demanded. "What do you mean, kill you?"

"Oh, shut up, never mind." He told her as they moved into the hallway. "How can that Dalek even exist? It was erased from time and then it came back. How?"

"You said the light from the Pandorica…" Rory said.

"It's not a light, it's a restoration field, but never mind." The Doctor said. "Call it a light."

"Call it a pink elephant for all we care." Lily told him. "Get on with it."

"That light brought Amy back, but how could it bring back a Dalek when the Daleks have never existed?" the Doctor asked.

"Okay, tell us." Amy said.

"It takes him forever to get to the point." Lily muttered.

"I know, right?" Amy replied.

"Can I explain?" the Doctor asked crossly.

"We would love it if you would." Lily told him brightly.

"When the TARDIS blew up, it caused a total event collapse." The Doctor said, glaring at her. "A time explosion. It blasted every atom in every moment of the universe. Except…"

"Except inside the Pandorica." Amy finished.

"The perfect prison." The Doctor said. "Inside it, perfectly preserved, a few billion atoms of the universe as it was. In theory, you could extrapolate the whole universe from a single one of them, like cloning a body from a single cell. And we've got the bumper family pack."

"No, too fast." Rory said. "I'm not getting it."

"Inside that box is a memory of the entire universe." Lily told him. "And the light pouring out of it is transmitting the memory."

"And that's how we're going to do it." The Doctor added.

"Do what?" Amy asked.

"Relight the fire." He replied. "Reboot the universe. Come on!"

He grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her off as River rushed to catch up. Amy and Rory exchanged a look before following.

"Doctor, you're being completely ridiculous." River said. "The Pandorica partially restored one Dalek. If it can't even reboot a single life form properly, how will it reboot the whole of reality?"

"What if we give it a moment of infinite power?" the Doctor shot back. "Transmit the light from the Pandorica to ever particle of space and time simultaneously?"

"Well, that would be lovely, dear, but we can't, because it's completely impossible." River replied.

"You obviously haven't been paying attention." Lily told her, smiling. "Impossible's what we do best!"

"Besides, one spark is all we need." The Doctor said.

"For what?" River demanded.

"Big Bang Two!" he replied. "Now listen…"

He turned slightly and was hit by the beam of the Dalek as it came down the hall.

"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"

Lily was instantly kneeling at the Doctor's side, River right next to her.

"Get back!" Rory ordered, forcing Amy out of the way. "River, Lily, get back now!"

"EXTERMINATE!"

Rory shot the Dalek again and it drained of energy.

"Theta." Lily said softly, caressing his face. "It's time. I'll be right behind you." She kissed his forehead. "I love you."

She took his hand and moved it to the manipulator and let go so he could press the button. He disappeared and she sat back.

"Where did he go?" River demanded. "Lily, where did he jump to?"

"Downstairs." The Time Lord replied, getting to her feet. "12 minutes ago. To warn his past self."

"Then let's go." River replied, also getting to her feet.

"River, he died." Amy said.

"SYSTEMS RESTORING!" The Dalek said. "YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!"

"We've got to move." Rory said. "That thing's coming back to life."

"Rory, take Amy and River downstairs." Lily said, her voice calm. "I'll be right behind you."

"Lily…" he said.

"Go." She ordered.

He took Amy's arm and started to lead her away.

"What are you going to do?" River asked Lily softly.

"What I always do." Lily replied. "Protect the Doctor."

"River!" Rory called.

River gave Lily one last look before following the two companions.

"YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!" the Dalek announced.

"You know, your kind is always telling me that." Lily said conversationally. "And I mean, usually they look a lot better than you do. What, with your systems still restoring, your shield density compromised. I could take you out with just one shot."

"RECORDS INDICATE YOU WILL SHOW MERCY." The Dalek said. "YOU ARE AN ASSOCIATE OF THE DOCTOR'S."

"Heh, funny that." Lily said, chuckling slightly. "You Daleks have a few names for me, but here's the one you should concern yourself with right now. I'm the Phoenix of Gallifrey, Protector of the Doctor, and you've managed to royally piss me off."

"MERCY!" the Dalek said.

"See, I think you're thinking of the Doctor." Lily told it brightly and then her voice went cold. "I don't do mercy. Not for Daleks."

"MERCY!" it cried again as her eyes flared gold and she raised her hand.

* * *

Amy and Rory led River to where the Doctor's body had been, but all that was left was Rory's jacket.

"How could he have moved?" Rory demanded, running down the stairs. "He was dead! Doctor? Doctor!"

"But he was dead!" Amy protested.

"Who told you that?" River asked.

"He did." Amy replied.

"Rule one." River said. "The Doctor lies."

There was a tremendous boom and they all flinched. A second later, Lily appeared, walking calmly down the stairs.

"What happened?" Amy asked as Rory rejoined them.

"Took care of a pest problem." Lily replied. "Here, catch."

She tossed a small metal sphere and Rory caught it, surprised by its weight.

"What is it?" he asked as she passed them.

"A Dalek." She replied.

The others stared after her for a moment before rushing to catch up with her as she walked into the Pandorica exhibit.

"Doctor!" Amy cried.

He was sitting inside the Pandorica as Lily climbed up. Amy, Rory, and River stopped in front of them.

"Why did he tell us he was dead?" Rory asked.

"We were a diversion." Amy replied. "Long as the Dalek was chasing us, he could work down here."

"Theta." Lily called softly, taking his face between her hands. "This is no time for a nap, love. Time to wake up."

Above them, the sun was much closer and brighter.

"What's happening?" Rory asked.

"Reality's collapsing." River replied. "It's speeding up. Look at this room."

They looked around and saw that the displays were empty.

"Where did everything go?" Amy asked.

"History is being erased." River told her. "Time is running out."

"Theta, you need to be conscious for this." Lily told her mate. "Come on, that it."

"Big…Bang…Two." He said, coming around slowly.

"The Big Bang." Rory said. "That's the beginning of the universe, right?"

"What, and Big Bang Two is the bang that brings it back?" Amy asked. "Is that what you mean?"

The Doctor nodded slightly.

"Oh!" River exclaimed.

"Nice of you to join us." Lily said sarcastically.

"What?" Amy demanded.

"The TARDIS is still burning." River explained. "It's exploding at every point in history. If you threw the Pandorica into the explosion, right into the heart of the fire…"

"Then what?" Amy asked.

"Let there be light." Lily said, checking some wires that were running from the chair. "He told you. All we have to do is get the light of the Pandorica everywhere at once, so that's what we're going to do. You missed a couple of spots, Theta."

She took his screwdriver and went to work.

"That would work?" Amy asked. "That would bring everything back?"

"A restoration field, powered by an exploding TARDIS, happening at every moment in history." River answered. "Oh, that's brilliant. It might even work!"

"It will work." Lily said. "He's wired the vortex manipulator to the rest of the box."

"Why?" Amy asked.

"So he can take it with him." River answered slowly. "He's going to fly the Pandorica into the heart of the explosion."

The sky was now brilliant orange and Amy and Rory stood together, just watching.

"Are you okay?" Rory asked her softly.

"Are you?" she asked.

"No." he replied.

"Well, shut up then!" she shot back.

Rory took her in a hug and Lily came out of the Pandorica.

"Amy, he wants to speak to you." She told her.

Lily came over to Rory and started to talk to him softly as Amy looked at River.

"So, what happens here?" Amy asked. "Big Bang Two? What happens to us?"

"We all wake up where we ought to be." River replied. "None of this ever happens and we don't remember it."

"River…tell me he comes back, too." Amy said softly.

"The Doctor will be the heart of the explosion." River said.

"So?" Amy pushed.

"So, all the cracks in time will close, but he'll be on the wrong side…" River explained. "Trapped in the never-space, the void between the worlds. All memory of him will be purged from the universe. He will never have been born. Now, please. He wants to talk to you before he goes."

"Not to you?" Amy asked. "Not Lily?"

"He doesn't really know me yet." River replied. "Now he never will. And I'm sure he'll want to talk to the Phoenix after you."

Amy slowly walked to the Pandorica.

"Hi." She said, standing in front of him.

"Amy Pond." He said weakly. "The girl who waited. All night in your garden. Was it worth it?"

"Shut up." She told him. "OF course it was."

"You asked me why I was taking you with me and I said 'No reason'." The Doctor told her. "I was lying."

"It's not important." Amy assured him.

"Yeah, it's the most important thing left in the universe." He stressed. "It's why I'm doing this. Amy, your house was too big. That big, empty house. And just you."

"And Aunt Sharon." Amy added.

"Where were your mum and dad?" the Doctor asked. "Where was…everybody who lived in that big house?"

"I lost my mum and dad." Amy said.

"How?" the Doctor pushed her. "What happened to them? Where did they go?"

"I…I don't…" Amy whispered.

"It's okay." He said. "Don't panic. It's not your fault."

"I don't even remember." She told him.

"There was a crack in time in the wall of your bedroom and it's been eating away at your life for a long time now." The Doctor said. "Amy Pond, all alone. The girl who didn't make sense. How could I resist?"

"How could I just forget?" Amy demanded.

"Nothing is ever forgotten, not really." The Doctor told her. "But you have to try."

The ground began to shake.

"Theta!" Lily called. "Time to hurry this show along."

"There's going to be a very big bang." The Doctor told Amy. "Big Bang Two. Try and remember your family and they'll be there."

"How can I remember them if they never existed?" Amy asked.

"Because…you're special." The Doctor replied. "That crack in your wall, all that time, the universe pouring into your head. You brought Rory back…you can bring them back, too. You just remember, and they'll be there."

"_You_ won't." Amy said, backing away as Lily moved to her side.

"You'll have your family back." He said. "You won't need your imaginary friend anymore." He laughed weakly. "Amy Pond…crying over me, eh? Guess what?"

"What?" she asked.

"Gotcha." He replied.

"Okay, let's get this show on the road." Lily said, moving forward. "It'll be a tight squeeze, but it's only for a moment."

"Oh, no." the Doctor told her. "You're staying here. You're going to live your life."

"Like hell I am." She replied brightly. "I let you walk away from me once. You're crazy if you think I'm going to let you do it again."

She climbed into the Pandorica and sat down on his lap, pulling herself as small as she could.

"Please, Lily." He said softly. "You deserve to live."

"What kind of life would it be without you?" she asked, just as softly. "I won't live in a world you don't exist in."

She kissed him softly.

"Let's go, love." She whispered.

The others watched as the Pandorica began to close, Lily laying her head on the Doctor's shoulder as they disappeared from sight. When it was shut, it began to glow.

"Back!" River ordered. "Get back!"

The Pandorica launched into the sky.

* * *

The Doctor tried to send a message, but he was too weak, so Lily did it for him.

* * *

River, Rory, and Amy were sitting on the floor against a wall when River's communicator beeped.

"It's from the Doctor." She told the others.

"What does it say?" Amy asked.

"'Geronimo'." River replied.

* * *

Lily held on to the Doctor tightly as they rode the Pandorica towards the TARDIS.

"Love you." She whispered.

"Love you, too." He replied.

They hit the TARDIS and space and time exploded.

Then time reversed.

* * *

They woke up on the floor of the TARDIS.

"Oh!" the Doctor exclaimed, sitting up.

"Oh for god's sake." Lily said, flopping back onto the floor. "You can't even kill us properly."

"We escaped!" he told her, pulling up. "Love it when we do that! See, we have legs. Bow tie, cool! I can buy a fez."

"Over my dead body." She told him, smiling.

They were distracted by voices.

"The beach. The beach is the best. Automatic sand."

They turned and saw their past selves and Amy standing around the console of the TARDIS.

"Oh no." Lily murmured.

"Automatic sand?" Past Amy asked. "What does that mean?"

"It's automated, totally." The Past Doctor replied.

"Yeah, you'll get to watch him litter just so he can watch the sand clean it up." Past Lily laughed. "It's really pathetic, actually."

The Past Doctor just pressed a kiss to her head.

"No, hang on!" the Doctor said. "That's last week!"

"Our trip to Space Florida." Lily agreed, nodding.

"We're rewinding." He said. "Our time streams…unraveling, erasing. Closing."

He looked at the monitor and saw a crack closing.

"Hello, universe, goodbye, Doctor." He muttered. "Amy?"

The Past Amy turned around like she could hear him.

"Amy?" Lily asked.

* * *

Time rewound even further. Lily and the Doctor landed outside Craig's flat as Amy crossed in front of them.

"Three weeks ago." Lily said. "She's going to put the card in the window."

"Amy!" the Doctor called and she looked up. "I need to tell you something. She can hear me! But if she can hear me…"

"Theta." Lily said.

He turned and followed her look to the crack in the road and time rewound again.

* * *

"Where are we?" Lily asked, looking around in confusion.

"The Byzantium." The Doctor replied. "Right before we came to get you and Rory."

"Good luck everyone." The Past Doctor called. "Behave. Do not let that girl open her eyes. And keep watching the forest. Stop those Angles advancing. Amy, later!" he tapped her head. "River, going to need your computer."

"Yeah." Amy said miserably. "Later."

He left and Lily and the Doctor came over to Amy. The Doctor knelt in front of her and took her hands.

"Amy." He said softly. "You need to start trusting me, it's never been more important."

"But you don't always tell me the truth." She replied.

"If I always told you the truth, I wouldn't need you to trust me." He told her.

Lily chuckled and Amy's head moved towards her before she refocused on the Doctor.

"Doctor, the crack in my wall." Amy said. "How can it be here?"

"I don't know yet, but I'm working it out." The Doctor replied, looking over at his past self. "Now, listen. Remember what I told you when you were seven?"

"What did you tell me?" she asked.

"No." he said, resting his forehead against hers. "No…that's not the point. You have to remember."

"Theta, we have to go." Lily said softly.

"Who is that?" Past Amy demanded. "Who's there?"

Lily chuckled and pressed a kiss to the girl head.

"Everything's going to alright." She told her. "Trust us. You're going to fine."

"What's going on?" Amy demanded as Lily and the Doctor moved away. "Who are you? What am I supposed to remember? Doctor, what's happening? Doctor?"

Time rewound again.

* * *

"Where now?" Lily asked.

"Amelia's house." The Doctor said, checking his watch. "When she was seven. The night she waited."

He led his mate outside and they found Amelia curled up, asleep on her suitcase.

"The girl who waited." The Doctor said softly. "Come here, you."

He picked her up and Lily brushed her hair back, kissing her forehead.

"Let's get her inside." She said.

* * *

The two Time Lords tucked Amelia into her bed and the Doctor sat in a chair next to the bed as Lily sat on the opposite side of the bed, reaching out to brush a strand of hair away from the sleeping girl's face.

"It's funny." The Doctor told her softly. "I thought if you could hear me, I could hang on somehow. Silly me. Silly old Doctor. When you wake up, you'll have a mum and dad…And you won't even remember us. You won't remember me. We'll you'll remember me a little. We'll be a story in your head. But that's okay. We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh? 'Cause it was, you know. It was the best. A daft old man who stole a magic box and ran away and the woman who fell into the box and turned that old man on his head, made him love her and gave him her love in return."

Lily smiled softly and reached over to take his hand.

"Did I ever tell you that I stole that box?" the Doctor continued. "Well, I borrowed it."

"Don't listen to him." Lily whispered. "He stole it."

"I was always going to take it back." The Doctor defended himself before refocusing on Amy. "Oh, that box, Amy. You'll dream about that box. It'll never leave you. Big and little at the same time. Brand new and ancient. And the bluest blue ever. And the times we had, eh? Woulda had…Never had. In your dreams, they'll still be there. The Doctor and Amy Pond. The Phoenix and Rory Williams. And the days that never came. The cracks are closing. But they can't close properly until Lily and I are on the other side. We don't belong here anymore. If it's alright with Lily-girl, I think we'll skip the rest of the rewind. I hate repeats. Live well. Love Rory."

He leaned down and kissed her head.

"Bye bye, Pond." He whispered.

Lily caressed her hair before getting up and joining the Doctor on the other side of the bed. He took her hand and she squeezed it before they walked straight through the crack and it sealed behind them.

Amelia woke up and looked at the wall. After a moment, she settled back to sleep.

Outside, the stars shined in the sky.

A/N: Next chapter is the end of this installment! I will take this moment to reveal the name of Series 6: If Today Was Your Last Day! Thanks to Anya for the suggestion! Let me know what you thought!

Abbey


	75. The Big Bang: New Beginnings

Disclaimer: Well at least I'm not sobbing this time. That's got to count for something.  
Also, I don't own 6 Months by Hey Monday.

Ch. 75:

Amy woke up in her bed, with bright sunlight shining on her. Her eyes drifted across her room, briefly settling on things like her 'Raggedy Doctor' dolls before focusing on the wedding dress hanging from her closet door.

"Morning!"

Amy sat up with a gasp as a woman walked into her room, carrying a breakfast tray.

"You're my mum." She said. "Oh, my God, you're my mum."

"Well, of course I'm your mum." Her mother told her. "What's that matter with you? And this is your breakfast, which your father made, so feel free to tip it out of the window if it's an atrocity. Downstairs, 10 minutes? Big day!"

She turned and left and Amy stared after her.

"Of course she's my mum." She muttered to herself as she got out of bed. "Why is that surprising?"

* * *

Amy slowly entered the parlor to find a shorter, balding man looking over a book.

"Ah, Amelia." He said. "I fear I may have been using the same joke book as the best man."

"You're my tiny little dad!" she exclaimed, running over and throwing her arms around him.

"Amelia, why are you behaving as if you've never seen us before?" her mother asked as she entered.

"I don't know." Amy replied, confused. "It's just…"

* * *

Rory was in his bathroom, brushing his teeth, when his phone rang.

"Hello!" he answered brightly.

"Do you feel like you've forgotten something really important?" Amy asked him without preamble. "Do you feel like there's a great big thing in your head, and you feel like you should remember it, but you can't?"

"Yep." Rory answered.

"Are you just saying yes 'cause you're scared of me?" Amy asked.

"Yep." Rory replied.

"I love you." Amy told him.

"Yep." Rory said again. "I mean, I love you too!"

* * *

Amy turned off her phone and sat in thought for a moment. Then she jumped her feet and took her dress down in a swirl of fabric.

* * *

Everyone laughed and applauded as the best man finished his speech.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the father of the bride, Augustus Pond!" he announced.

"Sorry, everyone." Amy's Father said, getting to his feet. "I'll be another two minutes. I'm just reviewing certain aspects."

He sat back down and Amy's Mother sighed.

"Your father, Amelia, will be the absolute death of me." She told her daughter. "Unless, of course, I strike preemptively."

Amy laughed but stopped when she saw a woman walk past the window. She quickly got to her feet and stared at the spot outside where the woman had been.

"Amy?" Rory asked. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said slowly, sitting down. "I'm…fine."

"Right." Rory replied. "Er…You're crying."

"So I am." She replied, wiping her cheek. "Why am I doing that?"

"Because you're happy, probably." Rory said, grasping at straws. "Happy Mrs. Rory. Happy, happy, happy."

"No." Amy told him. "I'm sad. I'm really, really sad."

"Great." Rory muttered.

"Why am I sad?" she asked, looking down at the table in front of Rory.

"Oh, someone left it for you." He told her, picking up a blue notebook and handing it to her. "A woman."

"But what is it?" Amy asked.

"It's a book." Rory replied.

"It's blank." She said, flipping through it.

"It's a present." He said.

"But why?" Amy demanded.

"Well, you know the old saying." Rory told her. "The old…wedding…thing. Huh? Amy?"

She didn't answer. All her thoughts were focused on the book in front of her.

"Hey, now." Her father said, standing up. "Sorry about that. Last minute adjustments to certain aspects. Now then, it hardly seems a year…"

Her father's speech faded to the background as things from the crowd jumped out at her.

A man wearing a red bowtie…a woman with brightly dyed hair…a man in blue suspenders…a woman with a large jewel around her neck…

A tear fell from Amy's eye and landed on River's notebook.

"…at the age of six announced that the new head teacher wasn't realy because she looked like a cartoon."

"Shut up, Dad!" Amy said, quickly getting to her feet.

"Amy?" Rory asked.

"Amelia?" her father said at the same time.

"Sorry, but shut up, please!" she told him. "There's someone missing…someone important. Some important people. Some people so, _so_ important."

"Amy, what's wrong?" Rory asked her, worried.

"Sorry." She said. "Sorry, everyone. But when I was a kid, I had an imaginary friend."

"Oh no, not this again." Her mother said, sighing.

"The raggedy Doctor." Amy continued. "My raggedy Doctor and his beautiful Phoenix. But they weren't imaginary. They were real."

"The psychiatrists we sent her to!" her mother continued.

"I remember you!" Amy said, talking over her mother. "I remember! I brought the others back, I can bring you home, too. Raggedy man, I remember you, and you, Phoenix! I remember you, and you two are late for my wedding!"

In the silence that followed, the others began to hear the glasses start to tinkle against each other. The ground began to shake and the chandelier began to sway.

"I found you." Amy continued. "I found you in words, like you knew I would. That's why you told me the story…the brand new, ancient blue box. Oh, clever. Very clever."

A wind began to blow, accompanied by the sound of familiar engines.

"Amy, what is it?" Rory demanded.

"Something old." She replied. "Something new. Something borrowed. Something blue."

The TARDIS began to materialize in the middle of the floor.

"It's the Doctor!" Rory exclaimed.

The TARDIS solidified and Amy climbed over the table, Rory right on her heels.

"How did we forget them?" he asked. "I was plastic. He was the stripper at my stag. She told me to make sure I didn't lose you, right before they saved us all."

Amy ran right up to the TARDIS and banged on the door.

"Okay, Doctor." She called. "Did I surprise you this time?"

The door popped open and the Doctor appeared, wearing a top hat with white tie and tails and a white scarf loosely draped over his shoulders.

"Er, yeah." He said. "Completely astonished. Never expected that. How lucky I happened to be wearing this old thing. Hand on a tic."

He went back inside slightly.

"Will you hurry it up?" he hollered. "We're late and they're waiting."

He stepped out and held a hand inside. A second later, another hand took it and Lily appeared. She was dressed in a knee length black dress with split sleeves. Around her neck was the Firestar, gold bird studs in her ears, and her hair was golden blonde with streaks of red. When she turned to shut the TARDIS door, Amy saw that there was a gold phoenix on the back of her dress, it's wings stretched out in flight.

"Hello, everyone!" The Doctor called, taking Lily's hand and pulling her, smiling, into his side. "We're Amy's imaginary friends, but we can anyway."

He reached out to shake Amy's father's hand.

"You absolutely, definitely may kiss the bride." Amy told him.

"Only if I get to kiss Rory." Lily shot back, grinning.

"Call it even?" Amy asked.

Lily laughed and hugged her tightly.

"Yes, let's leave the kissing duties to the brand new Mr. Pond." The Doctor said, shaking Rory's hand.

"No, I'm not Mr. Pond." Rory told him. "That's not how it works."

"Yeah, it is." The Doctor replied.

"Yeah, it is." Rory agreed as Lily released Amy.

"Rory!" she shouted, grabbing him in a hug.

He hugged her back, just as tightly, lifting her off the ground slightly before putting her back down.

"Right then, everyone." The Doctor said. "I'll move my box. You're going to need the space." He went inside. "Lily, you stay here and make sure they don't start without me. I only came for the dancing."

She laughed as he went inside all the way.

* * *

The Doctor staggered around the dance floor in his own version of dancing to 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love'.

"You're terrible." Amy told him, laughing. "That is embarrassing!"

"What you thought the speakeasy was a one off to embarrass Jenny and me?" Lily called from where she was dancing with Rory. "That's his natural state."

In retaliation to their comments, the Doctor gathered all the children and began teaching the dance to them.

"That's it." He told them. "That's good. Keep it loose."

The song ended and Lily grabbed the mic.

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen." She said. "It's time for my gift to the happy couple, so if you would all clear the dance floor, Theta, this means you, it's time for Mr. and Mrs. Pond-Williams to have their first official dance as husband and wife."

As the crowd parted and Lily grabbed a guitar, Amy pulled Rory on to the floor.

"_You're the direction I follow to get home  
When I feel like I can't go on, you tell me to go  
And it's like I can't feel a thing without you around  
And don't mind me if I get weak in the knees  
'Cause you have that effect on me, you do._

_Everything you say  
Every time we kiss, I can't think straight  
But I'm okay  
And I can't think of anybody else  
Who I hate to miss as much as I hate missing you._"

The Doctor moved to the back and leaned in the doorway as he watched his mate sing and his friends dance.

"_Months going strong now, and no goodbye  
Unconditional, unoriginal  
Always by my side  
Meant to be together  
Meant for no one but each other  
You love me, I love you harder, so_

_Everything you say  
Every time we kiss, I can't think straight  
But I'm okay  
And I can't think of anybody else  
Who I hate to miss as much as I hate missing you_

_So please, give me a hint  
So please, give me a lesson on how to steal, steal a heart  
As fast as you stole mine, as you stole mine_

_Oh and everything you say  
Every time we kiss, I can't think straight  
But I'm okay  
And I can't think of anybody else  
Who I hate to miss as much as I hate missing you_

_So please, give me a hint  
So please, just take my hand."_

The song ended and everyone applauded as Lily made her way down to Amy and Rory. She talked to them for a few moments before the next song started and they went back to dancing.

_I'll be right back._ Lily called, meeting his eyes from across the room with a smile.

He returned the smile, nodding, and she ducked into the next room to take a breath of air. Meanwhile, the Doctor continued to watch Amy and Rory dance.

"2,000 years." He said. "The boy who waited. Good on you, mate."

"The man who came back." Lily said, rejoining him and wrapping her arm around his waist.

"The woman who forgave him." He replied, smiling down at her.

He glanced over her head and his smile got bigger.

"I've got a surprise for you." He told her softly.

"Huh?" she asked, confused.

"Someone want to explain to me why three hours ago, I suddenly remembered that I had a sister?"

Lily turned and grinned.

"Jack!" she exclaimed.

She ran and jumped into his arms and he spun her around.

"What are we, chopped liver?" another voice grouched.

"Donna, the day you are chopped liver, I'll destroy the world myself." Lily said, pulling away from Jack to be engulfed in a group hug by Gwen, Donna, and Martha. "What are you all doing here?"

She looked to see her whole family standing around her. Martha, Mickey, Gwen, Rhys, Little Ianto in his arms, Donna, Shawn, and Jack.

"The Doctor told us where you were." Jack told her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "And you know I love a wedding."

"What's going on?"

Lily turned to see Amy and Rory standing with the Doctor.

"May I kiss the bride?" Jack asked.

"No!" The Doctor, Lily, Donna, Martha, Mickey, Gwen, and Rhys said at the same time.

"That's the last thing we need." The Doctor muttered. "Pond and Captain Jack."

"We just got done saving the universe." Lily added. "Can we agree to not screw it up for one night?"

The others laughed and Jack kissed her cheek.

"Whatever you say, Lils." He told her.

"Damn straight." She replied crossly.

"As nice as this is, I actually had a reason for bringing you all here." The Doctor said. "Amy, do you mind if I crash your wedding just a little bit more?"

"Go ahead." She told him, waving her hand before wrapping her arm around Rory and leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Lily." The Doctor said, holding out his hand.

"Theta, you're blocking me." She said, suspicious as she took his hand. "That never ends well for either of us."

"I promise this will turn out okay." He told her.

He pulled her to him so they were standing in the middle of their friends. Their family. He took both her hands in his and looked at her seriously.

"Once, when you had just gotten over dying and we knew I was about to die, I asked you a question and you said no." he told her softly. "But you also said that when it was all over with, if I asked again, you'd say yes. Well, we got through it relatively unscathed, but then I did the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life. But now, we're past that and we're safe and together again. So…I'm going to try this again."

He reached into his pocket and pulled something out.

"Lily-girl, will you marry me?"

He opened his hand and she saw he was holding a ring. It was a simple gold band with a orange stone with blue flecks set in the middle. Inside she saw Gallifreyan markings for love and eternity.

"Lily, this would be a good moment to say something." The Doctor said after a minute of silence.

"Yes." She answered softly.

"Yes?" he repeated.

"Of course it's yes." She told him, throwing her arms around his neck.

He wrapped his arms around her, picking her up and holding her tightly as he kissed her. Finally, he set her down and took her hand, slipping the ring on her finger. He gently brought it to his mouth and kissed it.

"Congratulations!"

The couple turned to their friends and were engulfed in hugs.

"Congrats." Amy said, hugging Lily tightly.

She smiled and let go of her friend, letting her husband hug her.

"You don't mind me asking her at your wedding?" The Doctor asked her.

"Of course I don't, you idiot." Amy said, hugging him. "Congratulations, Doctor."

"You, too, Pond." He replied.

"Okay, now where's my nephew?" Lily called.

* * *

Torchwood and company finally left as the party went into the early hours, but not before securing a promise from the Time Lords that they would come by soon. Jack was already complaining about the inevitable shopping trip, but Donna just herded him out.

After they were gone, and Amy and Rory were talking with their guests, The Doctor and Lily made their way out to the TARDIS.

"Did you dance?" a voice asked as the Doctor slipped the key into the door. "Well, you always dance, and the Phoenix always sings, don't you?"

The Time Lords turned to see River Song standing behind them.

"You tell me." The Doctor told her.

"Spoilers." She replied.

"You know, I'm in such a good mood, I don't think even you could ruin it." Lily told her, smiling.

"Ah, yes, congratulations are in ordered." River said, also smiling. "A ring to match a necklace."

The Doctor pulled out her journal and handed it back to her.

"The writing's all back, but I didn't peek." He told her. "Neither did Lily."

"Thank you." She replied, taking it.

Lily reached over and removed the manipulator from the Doctor's pocket.

"Are you married, River?" she asked.

River took the device and put it on.

"Are you asking?" she asked, smirking.

"I don't swing that way, sorry." Lily replied.

"Your loss." River said.

"River…who are you?" the Doctor asked her.

"You're going to find out very soon." She told them, very serious now. "And I'm sorry, but that's when everything changes."

She activated the manipulator and disappeared.

"I hate that woman." Lily said, turning to walk into the TARDIS.

"Really?" the Doctor said sarcastically, following her. "Whoever would've guessed?"

Lily laughed and wrapped her arms around his waist, walking backwards as they moved towards the console. He started to work the controls around her as she did her level best to distract him.

"Oi!" Amy said, opening the door and coming inside. "Where are you two off to? We haven't even had a song in the shrubbery yet."

"Amy!" Rory exclaimed, following her in.

"Shut up…" she told him. "It's my wedding."

"OUR wedding." He shot back.

"No, she's right." Lily called. "Rory, let's go find the shrub."

Amy growled and swatted playfully at Lily as the Doctor moved around the console.

"Sorry, you two.." he said. "Shouldn't have slipped away. Bit busy, you know?"

"You just saved the whole of time and space and got engaged." Rory told him, joining him at the console as Amy wrapped her arm around Lily and they leaned on the railing. "Take the evening off. Maybe a bit of tomorrow."

"Space and time isn't safe yet." The Doctor said. "The TARDIS exploded for a reason. Something drew the TARDIS to this particular date, and blew it up."

"Which I'm still annoyed by." Lily added.

"Why?" the Doctor asked as the phone began to ring. "And why now? The silence, whatever it is, is still out there, and I have to… Lily, would you mind?"

She sighed and moved to pick up the phone.

"Hello?" she answered. "Oh, hello! I'm sorry, we've got a terrible line. Uh huh. Problem. She was sealed into the Seventh Obelisk. I'm pretty sure the Doctor told me he was at the prayer meeting, which is probably what went wrong….No, I get that it's important. Yes, I understand how an Egyptian Goddess, loose on the Orient Express in space would be troubling…can you give me a moment?" She moved the phone to her shoulder. "She's a tad upset."

"Right." He agreed, turning to Rory and Amy. "Sorry, something's come up. This will have to be goodbye."

"Yeah, I think it's goodbye." Amy agreed, looking at Rory. "Do you think it's goodbye?"

"Definitely goodbye." Rory agreed.

Amy headed for the door. She opened it and poked her head out, waving.

"Goodbye!" she called. "Goodbye!"

She closed the door and moved back up the ramp. The Doctor smiled and Lily raised the phone back to her ear.

"Don't worry about a thing, Your Majesty." She said. "We're on our way."

They all held onto the console as the TARDIS leapt into flight.

A/N: SO THAT'S IT! Holy crap! Okay, so I need to know if you guys think A Christmas Carol should be part of this one or the next one. So let me know in a review. And I expect you all to review on this! So do it! Now! Please?

Oh, and if you want to see the inspiration for Lily's dress, it's on my profile.

Abbey


	76. Final Author's Note

Final Author's Note:

I'd Come For You is done! I'll start If Today Was Your Last Day soon with A Christmas Carol. I want to say thank you to all of you for your support and hope you guys keep reading! On we go.

Final I'd Come For You Stats:  
(as of 5/8/11)

Chapters: 75

Words: 194,532

Hits: 53,992

Reviews: 533

Favorites: 79

Alerts: 106

Abbey


End file.
